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UPPER    MISSISSIPPI: 


OR, 


HISTORICAL    SKETCHES 


THE   MOUND-BUILDERS,    THE    INDIAN   TRIBES, 


PROGRESS  OF   CIVILIZATION 


NORTH-WEST  ; 


FROM    A.D.    1600   TO    THE    PRESENT    TIME. 


BY    GEORGE    GALE. 


CHIC  A  GO: 
CLARKE    AND    COMPANY. 

NEW    rORK: 

OAKLEY     AND     MASON. 
1867. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1867, 

BY  GEORGE  GALE, 
In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  for  the  Northern  District  of  Illinois. 


WESTERIC 
BOOK  MANUFACTURING  00M 

CHICAGO. 


PREFACE. 


THAT  portion  of  the  United  States  to  which  the  following  pages  are 
chiefly  devoted,  was  known  to  the  old  French  traders  and  settlers 
as  "  upper  Louisiana,"  and  included  the  country  above  the  mouth 
of  the  Ohio  river.  That  region  is  now  generally  called  in  the  West 
by  the  name  of  the  "  upper  Mississippi."  The  inhabitants  of  our 
Atlantic  States  generally  spoke  of  this  territory  as  "the  country 
north-west  of  the  Ohio  river,"  which  name  they  finally  abbreviated 
to  the  "  North-west;  "  and  were  understood  by  that  name  to  include 
all  the  country  in  the  United  States  extending  west  from  the  foot  of 
Lake  Erie  and  the  Ohio  river  to  the  Rocky  mountains. 

This  region  was  first  explored  and  occupied  by  French  traders 
and  Catholic  missionaries  from  Canada,  and  was  but  little  known 
to  the  English  until  after  the  surrender  of  Canada  in  1760,  by  which 
the  English  became  possessed  of  the  French  trading-posts ;  but  the 
Pontiac  war,  which  soon  followed,  implicated  many  of  the  French 
traders  and  missionaries  in  the  conspiracy  against  the  English,  and 
led  to  their  expulsion  from  the  country;  and  the  long  wars  which 
followed  soon  after  in  Europe  had  the  effect  to  lock  up  the  early 
authentic  history  of  the  North-west  in  the  archives  of  the  French 
government.  Many  of  these  documents,  however,  have  lately  been 
copied,  by  the  permission  of  the  French  officials,  and  published  by 
the  authority  of  the  legislatures  of  New  York  and  some  other 
States;  and  valuable  information  touching  this  history  has  thus 
lately  been  brought  to  the  knowlege  of  our  inhabitants.  But  as  this 
mass  of  facts,  together  with  the  explorations  of  the  early  French 
travelers  and  missionaries,  are  not  collated  and  condensed  so  as  to 


IV.  PREFACE. 

be  of  value  to  the  mass  of  the  people,  the  writer  has  attentively 
examined  these  volumes,  with  the  American  histories,  and  the  laws 
and  documents  of  the  United  States  and  of  the  several  States,  and 
thus  collected  the  leading  incidents  in  the  history  of  the  north-west; 
to  which  he  has  added  his  own  knowledge  of  events  derived  from  a 
residence  in  the  country  of  over  twenty-six  years. 

In  handling  this  mass  of  facts,  the  writer  has  endeavored  to  group 
together  the  kindred  subjects  for  perspicuity,  and  by  condensation 
to  bring  them  into  as  small  a  compass  as  practicable,  leaving 
mainly  to  the  reader  to  make  his  own  speculations  on  the  motives 
of  the  actors,  and  draw  his  own  philosophical  conclusions.  In 
this  manner  he  has  attempted  to  bring  to  light  the  extinct  race 
of  people  called  the  "  Mound-Builders,"  locate  the  north-western 
Indian  tribes,  and  trace  their  wars  with  each  other,  and  their  con- 
nection with  the  "  French  and  Indian "  wars  of  the  colonies,  and 
their  wars  against  the  United  States ;  marking  their  emigrations, 
and  detailing  the  efforts  of  the  whites  to  Christianize  and  civilize 
them;  follow  the  tides  of  white  emigrations,  noting  the  organiza- 
tion of  territorial  and  State  governments,  and  other  institutions; 
describe  the  physical  character  of  the  Mississippi,  and  the  great 
lakes,  and  giving  the  progress  of  their  navigation  and  commerce; 
mark  the  building  of  canals,  railroads,  telegraphs,  and  other  works 
of  internal  improvement ;  and  give  statistics  of  the  general  advance- 
ment of  civilization. 

While  the  writer  has  not  taken  the  space  for  the  citation  of 
authorities,  he  has  made  a  special  effort  to  gather  the  data  from  the 
most  original  and  authentic  sources. 

It  is  not  supposed  that  a  work  of  this  kind  will  be  likely  to  beguile 
the  devotee  of  pleasure;  but  the  writer  believes  that  it  will  be  found 
acceptable  and  useful,  not  only  to  the  student  of  history,  but  the 
statesman  and  merchant,  and  a  welcome  companion  in  all  private 
libraries.  With  this  hope  it  is  presented  to  the  public  by 

THE    AUTHOR. 
GALESVJLLE,  Wisconsin,  September,  1867. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 
The  Mound-Builders n 

CHAPTER  II. 
The  Indian  Tribes,  from  their  discovery  to  1755        ...      41 

CHAPTER  III. 

The  Indian  Tribes,  from  1755  to  the  close  of  the  Pontiac  war 

in  1764   .        . 68 

CHAPTER  IV. 

The  Indian  Tribes,  from  1764  to  the  close  of  the  war  with 

Great  Britain  in  1815     .        .        .'  .  .  91 

CHAPTER  V. 
X    The  Catholic  Missions         .  114 

CHAPTER  VI. 
^     The  Protestant  Missions 135 

CHAPTER  VII. 
The  Iroquois,  Hurons,  Delawares,  and  Mohegans     .        .        .     159 


VI.  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
The  Illinois  Confederacy .        .     172 

CHAPTER  IX. 
The  Winnebago  Confederacy      .        ....        .        .        .     182 

CHAPTER  X. 
The  Winnebago  Confederacy  (concluded)       '  i        .        .        .     194 

CHAPTER  XI. 
Dakota,  or  Sioux  Confederacy 224 

CHAPTER  XII. 
»C    The  Sioux  Massacre 245 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
The  Chippeway  Confederacy •        •    265 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

The  Sacs,  Foxes,  and  Potowatomies;  and  a  table  of  the  popu- 
lation of  all  the  tribes  in  the  United  States  in  1866    .        .     291 

CHAPTER   XV. 
The  States  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  and  Michigan          .        .    320 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
The  State  of  Wisconsin 340 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

The  States  of  Missouri,  Iowa,  Minnesota,  Kansas,  and  Ne- 
braska ;  and  territories  of  Dakota,  Colorado,  and  Montana,     367 


CONTENTS.  Vll. 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
The  Mississippi,  and  its  Navigation 388 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
The  Great  Lakes,  and  their  Navigation 415 

CHAPTER  XX. 
Canals,  Railroads,  Telegraph  Lines,  and  Commerce        .        .    433 

CONCLUSION 449 


THE  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 


CHAPTER  I. 


THE    MOUND -BTJILDEB8. 

A  POET  has  mournfully  declared  that  "  Greece  lies  slum"- 
bering  in  the  tomb ;"  but,  from  the  perpetuity  of  her  works 
of  art,  the  imagination  still  hears  the  voice  of  Pythagoras, 
the  founder  of  Philosophy,  arguing  his  various  speculative 
theories  ;  Herodotus  discoursing  on  the  history  of  Egypt 
and  surrounding  nations  ;  Xenophon  detailing  the  exploits 
of  Cyrus  and  the  "  ten  thousand  Greeks ;"  Plato  preaching 
of  the  "  transmigration  of  souls  ;"  while  Socrates  proclaims 
the  soul's  immortality ;  and  Homer  sings  of  the  beauty  of 
Helen,  and  of  the'bravery  of  Hector  and  of  Achilles. 

But  to  us  of  the  New  World,  there  is  a  "  Greece  "  that, 
literally,  "  slumbers  in  the  tomb."  A  nation  or  people, 
which  for  centuries  occupied  a  territory  nearly  as  large  as 
all  Europe,  and  had  a  population  which  probably  numbered 
its  millions,  have  left  the  graves  of  their  fathers  and  the 
temples  of  their  gods  so  unceremoniously,  that  their  very 
name  has  disappeared  with  them ;  and  we  only  know  of 
their  existence  by  their  decayed  walls  and  tumuli,  and  by 
their  bones,  exhibiting  the  human  form,  although  in  a  far- 
gone  state  of  decay.  No  written  language,  or  hieroglyphic, 
tells  us  the  thoughts  of  their  philosophers,  the  philippics  of 
their  orators,  the  heroic  exploits  of  their  warriors,  nor  of 
the  beauty  or  chastity  of  their  Helens.  The  rude  tempests 
of  ages  have  swept  over-  their  country,  unmindful  of  their 
former  power,  while  the  dusky  savage  pursues  the  chase 


12  .  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

and  the  war-path,  heedless  of  the  sanctity  of  the  ground  on 
which  he  treads. 

To  this  lost  people  the  antiquarian  has  applied  the  name 
of  "  The  Mound-Builders,"  as  descriptive  of  an  unknown 
people.  It  is  proposed  in  this  chapter  to  overhaul  the  relics 
of  the  Mound-Builders,  and  present  to  the  reader  the  facts, 
with  observations  and  deductions,  relating  to  this  interest- 
ing and  ancient  race  of  people. 

In  calculating  the  extent  of  the  territory  of  the  Mound- 
Builders,  we  assume  that  all  the  territory  in  the  region 
round  about  the  clusters  of  mounds,  was  the  territory  of 
this  people,  without  hazarding  an  opinion  that  their  territory 
extended  any  further.  They  may  have  occupied  extensive 
regions  of  country  where  they  did  not  choose  to  make 
monuments,  and  there  may  be  extensive  regions  where 
these  monuments  exist,  but  we  have  as  yet  no  trace  or 
record  of  them. 

It  is  possible  that  they  may  have  had  the  same  customs 
of  the  modern  Indian  tribes,  of  carrying  their  dead  to  cer- 
tain general  localities  for  interment.  The  Dakotas,  at  the 
time  of  the  visit  of  Captain  Carver  to  that  tribe,  in  1766, 
had  a  common  burying  ground  a  short  distance  above  St. 
Paul,  Minnesota ;  and  at  a  later  day,  one  instance,  at  least, 
is  known  of  a  Dakota  squaw  carrying  on  her  back,  in  a 
blanket,  her  deceased  husband  from  Lake  Pepin  to  St.  Paul, 
a  distance  of  nearly  one  hundred  miles.  The  same  custom 
was  prevalent  two  hundred  years  since,  according  to  the 
Jesuit  missionaries,  from  the  Chippewas  of  Lake  Superior 
to  the  Abenakis  of  the  Penobscot  in  Maine. 

So  far  as  explorations  now  extend,  the  chief  territory  of 
the  Mound-Builders  is  the  Mississippi  Valley,  including  the 
territory  along  the  Atlantic  and  Gulf,  from  North  Carolina 
to  Texas ;  and  along  the  southern  shores  of  the  great  lakes, 
from  the  St.  Lawrence  river,  to  the  Fond  du  Lac  of  Lake 
Superior.  As  these  mounds  have  been  found  quite  nume- 
rous at  the  Bute  Prairies,  in  Oregon,  and  along  the  Gila  and 


THE  MOUND  BUILDEES. 


13 


Colorado  rivers  of  California,  we  may  with  safety  claim 
nearly  the  whole  of  the  United  States  and  her  territories  as 
within  their  jurisdiction.  This  gave  them  as  fine  and  rich 
a  country  of  its  extent,  as  the  world  can  produce. 

The  chief  capital,  or  seat  of  this  magnificent  empire,  was 
probably  along  the  valley  of  the  Ohio  river,  in  the  State  of 
Ohio,  judging  from  the  elaborate  extent  of  their  works  in 
that  region.  They,  like  the  Iroquois,  probably  called  that 
river  the  Ohio,  or  Beautiful  river. 

One  of  the  first  points  for  our  consideration,  in  examining 
into  the  condition  of  an  unknown  people,  is  to  ascertain 
their  intellectual  capacity.  Fortunately  for  us,  on  this  point, 
Dr.  Morton,  of  Philadelphia,  has  devoted  considerable 
attention,  and,  in  his  "  Crania  Americana,"  has  given  a 
number  of  specimens  of  skulls  taken  from  the  mounds,  to 
which  the  writer,  in  the  following  table,  has  added  a  skull 
taken  from  a  mound  in  Racine,  Wisconsin,  as  given  by  Mr. 
Lapham : 

Table  of  Cranial  Development. 


Grave 
Creek. 

Tenn. 

Racine. 

Sciota. 

Longitudinal  diameter  . 
Inter-parietal     .... 

6.6  in. 
6. 
Sdesr. 

6.6  in. 
5-6 

r  6 

6.8  in. 
5-3 

6.5  in. 
6. 

6  2 

Frontal     

4..  I 

4..  r 

Inter-mastoid  arch     .     . 
"              line      .     . 
Occipito-frontal  arch 
Horizontal  periphery 
Facial  angle       .... 
Internal  capacity  .     .     . 

78  deg. 

15.2 

4-4 

14. 

i9-5 
80  deg. 
80  inch. 

13-8 
76  deg. 

T* 

16. 

4-5 

13-8 
19.8 
81  deg. 
90  inch. 

According  to  Dr.  Morton,  the  mean  internal  capacity  of 
the  skulls  of  the  different  races  of  people  are  as  follows  : 
Ethiopian,  78  cubic  inches ;  Malay,  81 ;  American  Indians, 
82;  Mongolians,  83;  Mound-Builders,  85;  and  Caucasian,  87. 

Dr.  Morton,  from  his  investigations,  came  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  there  is  a  great  similarity  in  the  cranial  develop- 


14  UPPEK  MISSISSIPPI. 

ment  of  the  Mound-Builders,  the  Mexicans,  Peruvians,  and 
all  'the  modern  tribes  of  Indians,  and  that  they  all  differ 
materially  from  the  races  on  the  eastern  continent. 

As  no  mummy  of  the  Mound-Builder  has  been  found  in 
full,  we  have  no  positive  information  of  the  form  or  appear- 
ance of  the  face  and  body.  The  crania  gives  a  moderate 
intellectual  development;  the  teeth  and  jaw-bones  show 
only  a  fullness  about  the  mouth  :  the  pipe  sculptures  repre- 
sent the  usual  varieties  of  countenances,  with  rather  a  full- 
ness of  face,  and,  occasionally,  the  Roman  nose ;  while  the 
bones  of  the  body  indicate,  says  Messrs.  Squier  and  Davis, 
"  a  rnassiveness,  and  seem  to  have  been  less  projecting  than 
those  pertaining  to  the  skeletons  of  a  later  day." 

From  a  man-shaped  mound  opened  at  Galesville,  Wiscon- 
sin, in  1860,  by  Drs.  Young  and  Johnson,  and  the  writer, 
there  were  obtained  pieces  of  the  crushed  skull,  upper  jaw 
and  teeth,  the  left  side  of  the  lower  jaw  and  teeth,  both 
thigh  bones  entire,  one  shin  bone,  and  many  others  of  less 
importance. 

The  thigh  bones  were  eighteen  and  three-fourths  inches  in 
length,  and  three  and  three-eighths  inches  in  their  smallest 
circumference ;  and  the  shin  bone  was  fourteen  inches  in 
length,  and  three  and  one-fourth  inches  in  smallest  circum- 
ference. From  these  measurements  they  inferred  that  the 
man  was  about  five  feet  and  ten  inches  in  height,  and 
strongly  built ;  and  from  the  decayed  condition  of  some  of 
the  teeth,  perhaps  from  fifty  to  sixty  years  of  age  at  the 
time  of  his  decease.  His  skull  varied  from  three-sixteenths 
to  one-fourth  inch  in  thickness ;  his  jaws  were  round  and 
full,  but  not  distorted ;  and  his  teeth  were  of  the  usual 
number  and  variety  of  the  white  race.  These  bones  are 
now  preserved  in  the  museum  of  the  "  Upper  Mississippi 
Historical  Society  "  at  Galesville. 

That  the  Mound-Builders  were  very  numerous,  can  not 
admit  of  a  doubt,  from  the  great  extent  of  their  territory 
and  the  magnitude  of  their  earth-works.  In  the  State  of 


THE  MOUND  BUILDERS.  15 

Ohio  alone,  it  has  been  estimated  that  there  are  10,000 
mounds  and  1,500  inclosures.  At  Bute  Frames,  in  Oregon, 
according  to  the  narrative  of  the  "  United  States  Exploring 
Expedition,"  there  are  "  many  thousands  in  number." 

According  to  the  surveys  in  Wisconsin,  there  have  been 
examined  about  100  near  Racine,  100  near  Milwaukee,  about 
100  near  Big  Bend  on  the  lower  Fox  river,  about  100  at 
Waukesha,  about  100  near  Fort  Atkinson,  100  near  Sum- 
mit, 200  near  Madison,  100  near  Horricon,  100  near  May- 
ville,  100  near  Bartlett's  landing  in  Vernon  county,  100  at 
Prairie  du  Chien,  200  in  La  Crosse  valley,  and  large  numbers 
in  the  region  of  the  Blue  Mounds,  along  the  Wisconsin  river, 
the  Fox  river  of  Green  bay,  and  Lake  Winnebago.  They 
have  been  noticed  along  most  of  the  creeks  and  rivers  of 
the  State,  and  new  investigations  are  continually  bringing 
them  to  light.  The  writer  has  also  noticed  nearly  500  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  county  of  Trempealeau,  which  are  of 
greater  variety  than  in  any  other  one  locality  in  the  State. 
It  is  safe  to  say,  that  probably  10,000  mounds  have  already 
been  noticed  in  Wisconsin. 

Mr.  Lapham,  in  his  "Antiquities  of  Wisconsin,"  page  79, 
remarks  that  "  it  is  believed  that  no  works  of  any  con- 
siderable extent  exist  above  this  point  (La  Crosse)  on  the 
Mississippi."  As  large  numbers  of  these  works  exist  at  the 
first  village  above  La  Crosse,  called  La  Crescent,  in  Minne- 
sota, only  three  miles  from  La  Crosse,  and  in  the  county 
of  .Trempealeau,  twenty  miles  above,  in  Wisconsin,  we  are 
strongly  cautioned  against  harboring  the  idea  that  all  the 
works  of  the  Mound-Builders  have  already  been  discovered. 
It  is  probable  that  nearly  all  the  States  and  territories  in- 
cluded within  the  empire  of  the  Mound-Builders,  on  full 
examination,  will  be  found  to  contain  as  many  works  of  this 
people  as  the  States  of  Ohio  and  Wisconsin. 

Many  of  these  works  are  of  gigantic  proportions.  The 
mound  near  Miamisburgh,  Montgomery  county,  Ohio,  con- 
tains 311,353  cubic  feet;  one  at  the  mouth  of  Grave  creek, 


16  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

Virginia,  is  70  feet  high  and  1,000  feet  in  circumference ;  one 
at  Cahokia,  Illinois,  is  90  feet  high  and  over  2,000  feet  in 
circumference,  containing  over  twenty  million  cubic  feet  of 
earth  ;  while  the  mound  at  Selserstown,  Mississippi,  covers 
an  area  of  six  acres. 

The  embankment  inclosures  are  also  of  great  extent,  and 
some  times  include  four  hundred  acres  of  ground.  One 
near  the  Miami  river  has  upwards  of  four  miles  of  embank- 
ments, and  only  incloses  about  one  hundred  acres.  The 
group  of  works  at  the  mouth  of  the  Sciota  river  has  an 
aggregate  of  at  least  twenty  miles  of  embankments,  but  only 
incloses  about  two  hundred  acres. 

In  estimating  population  from  the  number  of  earth-works 
for  graves,  we  may  be  justified  in  calculating  that  monu- 
ments were  only  erected  to  the  men  who  had  distinguished 
themselves  among  their  fellows;  for  such  have  been  the 
customs  of  the  world. 

In  the  ^2Zneid,  VI.,  232,  it  is  said  of  the  tomb  of  the 
Trojan  Hector : 

"  On  it  ^Eneas  piously  heaped 

A  mighty  mound  sepulchral.     The  oar,  the  trumpet, 

Arms  of  the  man,  the  airy  summit  crowned." 

The  dying  Anglo-Saxon  poet,  Beowulf,  enjoins  his  friends 
to 

"  Command  the  famous  in  war 
To  make  a  mound, 

Bright  after  the  funereal  fire,  • 

Upon  the  nose  of  the  promontory, 
Which  shall,  for  a  memorial 
To  my  people, 
Rise  high  aloft 
On  Heonesness; 
That  the  sea-sailors 
May  afterwards  call  it 
Beowulf's  barrow, 
When  the  Brentings 
Over  the  darkness  of  the  floods 
Shall  sail  afar." — Beoivulf,  V.  5599. 


THE  MOUND  BUILDERS.  17 

Even  our  modern  Indians  occasionally  throw  together 
piles  of  stones  over  some  of  their  distinguished  men ;  two 
such  piles  having  been  observed  back  of  Red  Wing,  Minne- 
sota; but  probably  fifty  such  piles  do  not  exist  in  the 
Mississippi  valley. 

We  must  further  take  under  consideration  the  fact,  that 
the  Mound-Builders  had  but  few  of  the  aids  of  civilization 
for  such  works,  and  must  have  appropriated  a  large  amount 
of  time  to  prepare  their  food  and  clothing,  and  to  seasons 
of  relaxation  and  merriment.  We  must,  also,  make  allow- 
ance for  the  sick  and  indolent,  the  soldiers,  merchants, 
mechanics,  priests,  and  officials,  according  to  the  regula- 
tions of  semi-barbarous  nations. 

From  these  data,  may  we  not  safely  estimate  that  the 
Mound-Builders,  in  the  height  of  their  glory,  had  as  great  a 
population  within  their  territory  as  existed  in  the  same 
territory  of  the  white  population  in  1850. 

By  referring  to  the  census  of  that  year,  we  find  accredited 
to  the 

Mississippi  valley 8,641,754 

Pacific  slope 117,271 

Gulf 1,702,992 

Great  Lakes,  say     ........  1)537)983 

Total,         .  12,000,000 

It  might  be  urged  against  this  estimate,  that  we,  in  1850, 
had  more  populous  cities  within  the  territory  than  the 
Mound-Builders ;  but  that  excess  might  be  balanced  by  the 
large  number  of  Mound-Builders  between  the  Mississippi 
and  the  Pacific,  where,  in  1850,  the  white  population  was 
comparatively  sparse. 

Involved  with  the  question  of  population,  is  the  fact, 
were  the  Mound-Builders  an  agricultural  people  ?  On  this 
subject,  Mr.  Gallatin,  of  New  York,  in  speaking  of  the 
mound  at  Grave  creek,  remarked  : 

"  It  indicates  not  only  a  dense  agricultural  population,  but 
2 


18  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

also  a  state  of  society  essentially  different  from  that  of  the 
modern  race  of  Indians  north  of  the  tropic. 

"  There  is  not,  and  there  was  not  in  the  sixteenth  century, 
a  single  tribe  of  Indians  (north  of  the  semi-civilized  nations) 
between  the  Atlantic  and  the  Pacific,  which  had  means  of 
subsistence  sufficient  to  enable  them  to  apply,  for  such  pur- 
poses, the  unproductive  labor  necessary  for  the  work ;  nor 
was  there  any  in  such  a  social  state  as  to  compel  the  labor 
of  the  people  to  be  thus  applied." 

Egypt  is  celebrated  for  her  pyramids ;  but  she  was  also 
equally  celebrated  for  her  dense  population,  and  the  extent 
of  her  granaries.  The  nomadic  tribes  of  the  old  world  have 
never  been  celebrated  for  elaborate  monuments,  and  have 
never  lived  in  walled  cities ;  while  all  the  nations  of  the 
East  which  dwelt  in  inclosed  cities  and  built  elaborate 
works,  were  agriculturalists. 

The  fact  that  the  Mound-Builders  built  such  extensive 
earth- works,  is  quite  conclusive  evidence  that -they  were  not 
only  familiar  with  digging  the  earth,  but  that  this  was  their 
principal  employment. 

They  were  evidently  great  smokers ;  and  if  they  smoked 
tobacco,  they  probably  procured  it  by  cultivation  as  did  the 
modern  Indians,  who  not  only  cultivated  tobacco,  but  also 
corn,  peas,  beans,  gourds,  and  melons,  when  they  were  first 
discovered  by  the  Europeans. 

Our  O-chunk-o-raws,  of  Wisconsin,  who,  in  1639,  were 
said  to  be  "  sedentary  and  very  numerous,"  when  first  visited 
by  missionaries  in  1669,  and  by  Captain  Carver  in  1766, 
were  cultivating  tobacco  and  the  other  articles  heretofore 
enumerated.  Indeed,  the  Indian  caches,  or  deposits  of  corn, 
are  said  to  have  saved  our  Pilgrim  Fathers  from  starvation 
the  first  winter  that  they  inhabited  the  bleak  New  England 
coast. 

Another  evidence  that  the  old  Mound-Builders  cultivated 
the  soil,  is  derived  from  the  fact  that  their  mound  villages 
are  found  located  near  or  upon  the  richest  tables  of  land  in 


THE  MOUND  BUILDERS.  19 

the  country,  and  near  a  permanent  supply  of  good  water. 
A  large  proportion  of  the  villages  and  cities  of  the  Missis- 
sippi valley  now  occupy  the  sites  of  ancient  mound  cities. 

When  this  ancient  population  learned  agriculture,  be- 
comes a  very  interesting  question,  in  view  of  the  fact  that 
when  this  country  was  discovered  by  Europeans,  none  of 
the  cereals,  such  as  millet,  rice,  rye,  wheat,  barley  and  oats, 
so  common  on  the  eastern  continent,  were  known  in  Amer- 
ica; while  the  corn,  potatoes  and  tobacco  of  America  were 
equally  unknown  in  Europe,  Asia,  and  Africa.  This  fact, 
alone,  not  only  argues  the  great  antiquity  of  the  people  in 
America,  but,  in  a  measure,  destroys  the  hypothesis  that  the 
Mound-Builders,  or  the  present  race  of  Indians,  were  the 
"  lost  ten  tribes  of  Israel,"  the  castaway  Phoenicians,  or  the 
piratical  Normans. 

It  may  not  be  surprising  to  us,  that  some  of  the  customs 
of  either  the  Mound-Builders,  or  the  modern  tribes  of 
Indians,  may  be  similar  to  some  of  the  customs  of  the 
eastern  continent, when  we  take  under  consideration  the  fact 
of  the  common  origin  of  the  human  race,  and  the  identity 
of  the  human  form  and  intellect ;  but  it  would  surprise  us 
that  even  a  semi-educated  and  semi-civilized  people  should 
relapse  so  completely  into  barbarism  as  to  leave  neither 
written  manuscript,  hieroglyphic,  nor  sculptured  cornice. 
If  the  American  races  ever  had  an  ancestry  on  the  eastern 
continent,  it  is  probable  that  it  was  anterior  to  Confucius 
of  the  Chinese,  the  Vedas  of  the  Hindoos,  the  Hieroglyphics 
of  the  Egyptians,  and  the  Pentateuch  of  the  Hebrews. 

The  Mound-Builders  were  evidently  somewhat  acquainted 
with  commerce,  judging  from  the  articles  found  in  the 
mounds.  In  Ohio  we  find  pearls,  shai'ks'  teeth,  and  marine 
shells  from  the  Gulf  and  the  Atlantic  ocean,  obsidian  from 
Mexico  and  the  Rocky  Mountains,  native  copper  and  silver 
from  Lake  Superior,  lead  from  Wisconsin,  Illinois,  Iowa 
and  Missouri,  and  syenite  and  greenstone  from  northern 
Wisconsin,  Alleghany  and  Rock^  Mountains. 


20  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

Their  system  of  traveling  for  the  purposes  of  commerce, 
was  probably  the  same  as  that  of  the  modern  Indians  —  by 
canoes  along  the  navigable  rivers.  Since  this  country  has 
become  known  to  the  whites,  trading  fleets  of  several 
hundred  canoes  have  visited  Quebec  from  the  head  of  Lake 
Superior  and  from  Green  Bay;  while  war  parties  of  the 
Sioux  of  Mille  Lac,  have  passed  two  thousand  miles  down 
the  Mississippi,  and  war  parties  of  the  Five  Nations,  of  New 
York,  have  carried  their  victorious  arms  to  Mackinaw  and 
Lake  Superior,  and  by  way  of  the  Ohio  river  to  two  hundred 
miles  west  of  the  Mississippi. 

To  what  extent  the  Mound-Builders  may  have  trafficked 
in  corn,  tobacco,  skins,  and  clothing,  we  have  no  means  of 
judging.  Nor  have  we  any  means  of  judging  of  the  kind 
of  habitation  which  sheltered  the  family  from  the  winter's 
cold.  It  was  evidently  neither  stone,  brick  or  dirt,  as  no 
remains  of  such  dwellings  can  be  found.  They  must  have 
lived  either  in  tents  or  wooden  tenements,  all  vestiges  of 
which  have  long  since  disappeared. 

But  while  they  paid  but  little  attention  to  their  houses,  it 
was  not  uncommon  for  them  to  surround  what  is  supposed 
to  have  been  the  site  of  their  villages  with  an  earth  em- 
bankment, about  equivalent  to  our  ditch  fences.  These 
were  often  built  with  three  sides  only  —  the  fourth  side 
being  a  steep  bank  of  a  creek  or  river.  Another  style 
was  to  run  a  straight  embankment  across  a  promontory  of 
some  high  table  land.  A  third  style  was  to  make  double 
or  triple  embankments,  one  within  the  other.  The  height 
of  these  embankments,  and  their  location,  forbid  the  idea 
that  they  were  designed  as  fortifications ;  and  while  they 
might  have  been  sacred  inclosures,  it  is  far  more  probable 
that  they  were  designed  solely  as  fences  to  protect  them- 
selves either  from  their  herds,  or  from  the  droves  of  buffalo 
which  inhabited  the  Mississippi  valley.  When  the  first 
hunter  was  going  down  the  Wisconsin  river  to  settle  at 
Prairie  du  Chien,  in  about»1727,  he  was  obliged  to  stop  his 


THE  MOtrffD  BUILDERS.  21 

canoe  several  hours  to  allow  a  drove  of  buffalo  to  ford  that 
river.  In  some  instances,  in  Ohio,  these  inclosures  have 
graded  ways,  embanked  on  each  side,  running  to  the  water. 

In  the  manufacture  of  arrow-points,  stone  axes,  spear- 
heads, and  some  implements  of  copper,  the  Mound-Builders 
did  not  much  excel  the  modern  races  of  Indians,  but  they 
carried  the  art  of  the  sculpture  of  pipes  to  a  high  degree  of 
perfection.  These  pipe  sculptures  are  imitations  of  most 
of  the  common  birds  and  animals  known  to  the  white  pion- 
eers of  North  America ;  also,  of  the  human  face  and  head. 
They  displayed  a  fine,  modest,  pure  taste,  and  close  observ- 
ation to  natural  positions,  thereby  indicating  a  people 
considerably  advanced  in  civilization  —  the  savage  tastes 
delighting  in  monstrosities  and  caricatures,  instead  of  faith- 
ful copies  of  the  original. 

The  Mound-Builders  were  evidently  great  smokers,  and 
probably  believed,  with  the  modern  tribes,  that  tobacco  was 
a  gift  of  the  Great  Spirit,  by  the  use  of  which  they  might 
receive  inspirations  from  the  Deity.  It  is  a  remarkable  fact, 
that  all  modern  tribes  of  Indians  of  North  America  still 
hold  the  pipe  as  a  sacred  emblem  of  peace  ;  and  when  it  is 
presented  by  one  party,  the  fiercest  battle  must  cease  until 
the  council  can  be  held,  and  the  propositions  considered  and 
determined. 

When  Father  Marquette  first  explored  the  Mississippi 
from  Prairie  du  Chien  to  Louisiana  in  1673,  this  sacred 
emblem  was  at  once  recognized  by  every  savage  nation  that 
inhabited  its  banks  or  propelled  the  canoe  along  its  turbid 
waters.  These  pipes  of  the  Mound-Builders  were  not  made 
of  the  friable  pipe-stone  of  Minnesota  (that  locality  evi- 
dently then  being  unknown),  but  mostly  of  a  very  fine 
porphyry  of  many  shades  of  color.  Some  varieties  are  of 
a  greenish  brown  base,  with  fine  white  and  black  granules ; 
others  of  a  light  brown  base,  with  white,  purple,  and  violet- 
tinged  specks ;  but  most  are  red,  with  white  and  purplish 


22  TJPPEE  MISSISSIPPI. 

grains.  Some  very  much  resemble  the  modern  Indian  pipe- 
stone  in  color,  but  greatly  exceed  it  in  hardness. 

As  the  Mound-Builders  evidently  were  not  worshipers  of 
idols,  they  have  left  us  no  sculptures  of  idol  deities,  or  of 
the  full  form  of  man. 

It  is  claimed  for  the  Egyptians,  that  they  became  the 
fathers  of  geometry  from  the  necessity  of  dividing  out  to 
the  tillers  of  the  soil  the  overflowed  bottoms  of  the  Nile ; 
but  the  Mound-Builders  have  exhibited  the  most  exact 
geometrical  skill  in  many  of  their  embankments  and  inclos- 
ures,  without  any  such  necessity.  This  point  was  tested  by 
actual  survey,  among  others,  of  the  two  circle,  and  one 
square,  inclosure  at  Liberty  township,  Ross  county,  Ohio. 
One  of  these  circles  was  800  feet  in  diameter,  and  the  other 
1,700  feet,  while  the  square  was  exactly  1,080  feet  on  each 
side.  Pythagoras  himself  could  not  have  struck  those  circles 
nor  made  that  square,  without  an  actual  measurement  on 
geometrical  principles.  The  same  scientific  accuracy  runs 
through  nearly  all  their  earth-works.  At  Seal  township,  in 
Pike  county,  Ohio,  there  is  an  accurate  ellipse,  and  a  circle 
with  a  square  embankment  inside,  the  corners  touching  the 
circle.  At  Brush  creek,  Kentucky,  there  is  an  hexagonal 
inclosure  precisely  fifty  feet  on  each  of  the  six  sides.  The 
same  artistic  merit,  however,  has  not  been  displayed  in  their 
animal  effigies ;  but  their  similarity  may  have  been  some- 
what disfigured  by  the  washing  of  rains  for  a  thousand 
years. 

In  fortifications  for  defense,  the  Mound-Builders  have 
exhibited  a  very  respectable  degree  of  military  art.  In  the 
first  place,  they  have  judiciously  selected  commanding  posi- 
tions, naturally  strong,  and  easily  rendered  comparatively 
impregnable  to  the  ancient  warlike  implements.  In  the 
second  place,  they  never  failed  to  include  within  their  forti- 
fications a  good  supply  of  water,  and  never  allowed  the 
contingency  to  exist  that  such  supply  might  be  cut  off  by 
an  enemy.  This  precaution  might  well  have  been  followed 


THE  MOUND  BUILDERS.  23 

by  some  of  the  officers  in  the  great  rebellion,  particularly 
by  Colonel  Mulligan,  at  Lexington,  Missouri.  In  the  third 
place,  all  the  accessible  points  were  strongly  fortified  with 
stone  walls  or  embankments,  or  both ;  and  the  gateways  or 
sally-ports  were  much  stronger  and  more  intricate  than 
those  of  modern  warfare.  These  walled  inclosures  were 
often  of  considerable  extent.  The  one  near  Brownsville, 
Ross  county,  Ohio,  incloses  one  hundred  and  forty  acres, 
with  a  wall  and  embankment  over  two  and  a  quarter  miles  in 
length ;  and  "  Fort  Ancient,"  in  "Warren  county,  Ohio,  has 
a  wall  and  embankment  between  four  and  five  miles  long, 
and  in  some  places  twenty  feet  high. 

The  Chillicotbe  and  Cincinnati  region  of  Ohio  seems  to 
have  been  the  last  great  stronghold  of  the  Mound-Builders, 
as  it  is  in  this  region  that  the  most  important  fortifications 
were  made. 

Wisconsin  can  scarcely  dignify  any  of  her  old  earth- 
works into  fortifications.  The  most  important  in  this  State 
is  Aztalan.  This  is  a  three-sided  inclosure,  with  the  open 
side  on  the  bank  of  the  west  branch  of  Rock  river,  with  a 
steep  declivity  of  only  fifteen  feet  to  the  water.  The  north 
bank  is  631  feet  long;  the  west,  1,419  feet;  and  the  south, 
700  feet ;  —  the  three  banks,  with  that  of  the  creek,  inclosing 
seventeen  and  two-third  acres.  The  walls  are  about  twenty- 
two  feet  wide  on  the  ground,  and  vary  from  one  to  five  feet 
in  height.  Allow  for  the  action  of  the  rains  upon  an  earth 
wall  for  several  centuries,  and  we  conclude  that  it  originally 
might  have  been  from  four  to  eight  feet  high,  —  a  respect- 
able fence,  but  a  poor  protection  against  an  assaulting 
enemy. 

But  what  destroys  the  probability  that  the  Aztalan  works 
were  a  fort,  is  the  fact  that  it  was  commanded  by  a  ridge 
on  the  west  side,  and  the  bank  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
creek,  —  both  within  an  arrow-shot  of  the  inclosure. 

The  Mound-Builders  were  evidently  not  a  warlike  people, 
as  we  find  no  instruments  for  aggressive  movements,  except 


24  ETPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

the  ordinary  spear,  ax,  knife,  and  arrow,  which  might  only 
have  been  used  for  hunting  purposes. 

It  is  customary  to  divide  the  different  ages  of  Europe 
into  the  Stone  age,  the  Copper  or  Bronze  age,  and  the  Iron 
age.  The  oldest,  of  course,  was  the  Stone  age,  or  the  age 
in  which  the  ancients  used  only  stone  knives,  axes,  arrows, 
etc.  This  division  is  said  to  be  finely  illustrated  at  an  old 
crossing  or  ford  of  a  river  in  Ireland,  where  a  good  many 
battles  had  been  fought  among  the  ancient  natives.  On 
digging  into  the  bank  of  the  river,  numerous  war  instru- 
ments of  iron  were  found  ;  on  continuing  down  they  found 
a  strata  containing  instruments  of  copper ;  and  still  deeper 
they  reached  the  strata  where  the  instruments  of  war  were 
of  stone.  These  deposits  had  been  covered  up  from  time  to 
time  by  the  river  overflowing  its  banks,  and  leaving  deposits 
of  sand,  gravel,  and  clay,  over  the  carnage  of  war.  As  the 
Mound-Builders  had  no  instruments  of  iron,  and  but  few 
hammered  out  of  native  copper,  we  conclude  that  they  had 
made  but  little  progress  in  the  Copper  age,  and  had  not 
learned  the  art  of  smelting  the  ore. 

The  most  important  localities  where  flint  rock  was  found, 
both  by  the  Mound-Builders  and  modern  Indians,  for  the 
manufacture  of  arrow  points,  spear  heads,  etc.,  in  the  Mis- 
sissippi valley,  were  "  Flint  Ridge,"  in  the  counties  of 
Muskingham  and  Licking,  Ohio,  and  "  Flint  Blufls,"  or 
"  Silver  Blufls,"  in  the  western  part  of  Jackson  county, 
Wisconsin.  About  the  hills  in  all  these  localities,  countless 
numbers  of  pits,  from  two  to  fourteen  feet  deep,  have  been 
dug,  from  which  the  stone  has  been  taken  for  manufacture, 
but  all  of  their  instruments  were  not  made  of  flint.  There 
have  been  found  in  the  mounds  of  Ohio  and  further  south, 
articles  worked  with  skill  from  limpid  crystals  of  quartz, 
manganesian  garnet,  and  obsidian. 

Messrs.  Squier  and  Davis,  in  their  account  of  the  Ancient 
Monuments  of  Ohio,  state  that  "  The  copper  and  silver 
found  in  the  mounds  were  doubtless  obtained  in  their  native 


THE  MOUND  BUILDERS.  25 

state,  •  and  afterwards  worked  without  the  intervention  of 
fire.  The  locality  from  which  they  were  derived,  seems 
pretty  clearly  indicated  by  the  peculiar  inechanico-chemical 
combination  existing  in  some  specimens  between  the  silver 
and  copper,  which  combination  characterizes  only  the  native 
masses  of  Lake  Superior." 

That  they  may  have  obtained  the  metal  at  that  locality  is 
very  probable,  as  they^left  mounds  on  the  bafck  of  the  On- 
tonagon  river,  a  very  important  locality  of  native  copper. 
Occasional  specimens  of  native  copper,  however,  are  found 
in  the  drift  through  Wisconsin  and  Illinois;  but  they  are 
supposed  to  have  come  from  Lake  Superior. 

The  Mound-Builders  are  supposed  to  have  been  very 
religious,  as  well  as  very  superstitious;  but  what  their 
religion  or  superstitions  were,  we  do  not  know.  It  is  im- 
possible at  this  day  to  determine  the  forms  of  their  religion ; 
but  it  is  almost  certain  that  it  was  not  Christian,  Hebrew, 
or  Pagan.  There  is,  however,  a  striking  similarity  between 
their  religion  and  that  of  the  modern  Indians,  and  the  re- 
ligion of  the  ancient  Magi  of  Persia,  before  the  days  of 
Zoroaster. 

The  Magi  worshiped  fire,  and  believed  in  a  good  and  a  bad 
Spirit,  and  performed  their  worship  on  the  tops  of  hills  and 
in  the  open  air.  They  also  worshiped  the  sun,  and  the 
natural  objects  on  the  earth.  After  the  death  of  Cambyses 
they  usurped  the  Government,  but  were  overthrown,  and 
many  of  the  leaders  in  the  rebellion  slain.  Many  of  them 
might  have  emigrated  to  America.  But  standing  out 
against  this  hypothesis,  is  the  fact  that  they  would  prob- 
ably have  brought  with  them  some  of  the  civilization  of 
Persia  and  Media ;  whereas,  nothing  has  ever  been  found  in 
this  country.  Every  hypothesis  of  an  Asiatic  emigration 
within  the  last  three  thousand  years,  must  answer  the 
question,  "  Where  are  the  letters  and  the  productions  of  art 
of  Asia  at  that  period  ?" 

The  first  class  of  mounds  which  writers  at  this  day  have 
2* 


26  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

selected  as  of  sacred  origin,  are  the  elevated  squares  or 
truncated  pyramids  of  earth.  Several  of  these  occur  in  an 
inclosure  at  Marietta,  Ohio.  The  largest  one  is  one  hundred 
and  eighty-eight  feet  long  by  one  hundred  and  thirty-two 
feet  wide,  and  ten  feet  high.  Midway  upon  each  of  its  four 
sides  are  graded  ascents,  twenty-five  feet  Avide  and  sixty 
feet  long,  in_a  right  line  from  the  mound.  These  graded 
ascents  were  evidently  designed  to  render  the  mounds  easy 
of  ascent  by  processions  of  the  people.  Some  of  this  class 
have  but  one  graded  ascent,  like  the  great  mound  at  Ca- 
hokie,  Illinois,  which  is  seven  hundred  feet  long  by  five 
hundred  feet  wide  at  the  base,  and  ninety  feet  high,  with  a 
graded  ascent  at  one  end  only.  The  top  of  the  mound  has 
a  first  and  second  table.  The  lowest  table  on  the  top  is  one 
hundred  and  sixty  feet  wide,  and  three  hundred  and  fifty 
feet  long ;  while  the  summit  or  top  had  a  flat  table  of  two 
hundred  feet  wide  by  four  hundred  and  fifty  feet  long.  The 
whole  mound  is  estimated  as  containing  twenty  millions 
cubic  feet  of  earth.  The  monks  of  the  order  of  La  Trappe 
have  for  some  time  occupied  the  top  of  the  mound  with 
their  house  and  garden. 

In  Wisconsin,  this  class  of  mounds  are  much  less  in  size, 
and  have  only  been  noticed  at  three  localities :  viz.,  at 
Aztalan,  Ontonagon  river,  and  at  Trempealeau  village.  At 
Aztalan  there  are  three  of  this  class,  one  of  which  is  sixty 
by  sixty-five  feet  level  area  on  the  top,  with  an  indistinct 
graded  way  at  the  south-east  corner.  The  other  two  are  a 
little  less  in  area.  The  mound  at  Trempealeau  is  about 
seven  feet  high,  with  a  level  surface  at  the  top  about 
twenty-five  by  fifty  feet,  with  graded  ways  from  each  of  the 
four  sides  about  twenty-five  feet  long,  with  the  full  width 
of  the  sides.  Others  may  yet  be  discovered. 

In  a  circular  truncated  mound  at  Portsmouth,  Ohio,  there 
is  a  graded  way,  or  ten-ace,  running  horizontally  round  the 
mound,  with  a  spiral  pathway  from  the  terrace  to  the  sum- 
mit. Near  the  town  of  Franklin,  Tennessee,  is  a  circular 


THE  MOUND  BTJILDETCS.  29 

truncated  mound,  fifteen  feet  high,  with  a  graded  way  to 
the  ground  only  on  one  side.  Several  of  this  kind  are  found 
in  the  southern  States.  Another  remarkable  mound  of  this 
class,  near  Lovedale,  Kentucky,  is  octagonal  in  form,  each 
side  measuring  150  feet  long,  with  three  graded  ways  to  the 
surrounding  soil.  Nearly  opposite  the  head  of  Blanner- 
hassett's  island,  in  Virginia,  is  a  diamond-shaped,  truncated 
pyramid,  surrounded  by  a  ditch  and  embankment  in  the 
form  of  the  ellipse. 

The  truncated  mounds  are  very  sparse  in  the  north,  but 
become  more  numerous  as  we  approach  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 
At  Aztalan,  Marietta,  and  some  other  places,  they  are  within 
inclosures,  but  at  dthers  they  are  not.  This  class  of  mounds, 
on  examination,  have  yielded  no  evidence  that  they  were 
burial  mounds,  but  have  been  regarded  as  the  site  for 
temples  devoted  to  the  worship  of  the  sun,  or  some  other 
imaginary  deity;  or,  in  the  opinion  of  some,  as  the  trocallis 
of  the  city  of  Mexico  for  bloody  sacrifices. 

Another  very  important  class  of  mounds,  inclosing  sup- 
posed altars,  are  found  in  many  parts  of  the  west.  The 
altar  is  generally  made  of  clay,  but  instances  occur  of  stone. 
They  are  round,  elliptical,  square,  or  parallelograms,  and 
from  two  to  fifty  feet  across,  although  generally  from  five  to 
eight  feet.  They  are  built  on  the  ground,  from  ten  to 
twenty  inches  high,  with  a  concave  or  hollow  on  the  top 
like  a  bowl,  and  the  clay  is  burned  very  hard  and  deep. 
When  found,  the  altar  generally  contains  ashes,  calcined 
bones,  fragments  of  pottery,  Calcined  stone  arrow-heads, 
and  sometimes  discs  of  copper.  Over  the  whole  is  raised 
a  large  mound,  with  alternating  strata  of  sand  and  common 
earth.  After  the  altar  was  constructed,  it  is  supposed  that 
human  bodies  were  placed  thereon  and  burned  with  an 
intense  heat,  after  which  the  mound  is  raised  over  the 
whole.  We  have  no  means  of  judging  whether  the  human 
bodies  were  placed  on  the  altar  when  alive  or  dead,  but 
may  we  not  infer  that  the  cavity  in  the  altar  was  to  hold 


30  UPPEB  MISSISSIPPI. 

the  blood,  while  the  calcined  arrow-heads  were  originally 
the  arrows  shot  to  take  the  life  of  the  victims  V  In 
a  mound  of  this  class,  at  Mound  City,  Ohio,  were  found, 
intermixed  with  much  ashes,  nearly  200  pipes  carved  in 
stone,  many  pearls  and  shell  beads,  numerous  discs,  tubes, 
etc.,  of  copper,  and  a  number  of  ornaments  of  copper, 
covered  with  silver.  The  pipes  were  much  broken,  and 
portions  of  the  copper  melted  with  the  intense  heat. 

Another  mound  in  Mound  City,  yielded  nothing  but  a 
large  number  of  plates  of  mica.  Another  yielded  bones 
with  ten  bracelets,  which  had  evidently  been  worn  as  orna- 
ments on  the  arms.  Another  mound  had  no  regular  altar, 
but  contained  more  than  2,000  discs  of  horn-stone  or  flint, 
each  about  six  inches  long,  four  wide,  and  about  three- 
fourths  of  an  inch  thick.  They  were  evidently  buried,  either 
to  secrete  them  from  enemies,  or  as  a  magazine  for  future 
use,  or  for  superstitious  purposes  ;  or  possibly  to  improve 
their  quality  with  a  view  of  manufacturing  them  into  spear 
and  arrow-heads.  Some  of  these  altars  show  signs  of  hav- 
ing been  used  for  a  considerable  period  before  they  were 
covered  with  earth. 

That  these  mounds  were  not  always  burial  places,  is 
evident  from  the  fact  that  many  of  them  contain  no  signs 
of  human  bones.  The  Mexicans  are  said  to  have  sought 
for  burial  places  near  some  altar,  or  temple,  or  sacred  place 
where  sacrifices  were  made.  Among  them,  burial  by  fire 
was  often  practiced. 

In  Wisconsin,  the  writer  is  not  advised  that  any  of  the 
altars  formed  like  those  of  Ohio  have  yet  been  found,  but 
burnt  clay  and  charred  human  bones  are  common.  Mr. 
Lapham  opened  a  mound  at  Aztalan  that  indicated  a  series 
of  burnings  of  clay  and  bones,  as  thougli  it  had  been  the 
practice  to  cover  each  burning  with  a  thin  strata  of  earth, 
and  had  so  continued  until  the  mound  reached  its  present 
height. 

Another   class   of   mounds,  which   is   by  far   the   most 


THE  MOUND  BUILDERS.  31 

immerons  in  the  United  States  and  territories,  is  the  conical 
mounds.  These  occur,  not  only  within  and  about  the  inclos- 
ures  of  Ohio  and  other  States  of  the  Mississippi  valley,  but 
in  many  places,  including  Minnesota  and  Oregon,  where 
inclosures  are  not  common.  They  are  generally  from  eight 
to  fifty  feet  in  diameter,  and  from  one  to  twenty  feet  in 
height,  and  occasionally  of  much  larger  dimensions.  Some 
of  these  conical  mounds  are  found  to  inclose  altars,  but  are 
regarded  generally  as  simple  burial  mounds. 

Many  of  these  contain  ashes,  coals,  and  charred  bones, 
which  indicate  that  it  was  a  common  practice  to  burn  the 
bodies  on  the  surface  of  the  ground  without  the  erection  of 
an  altar.  Others,  and  by  far  the  greater  number,  contain 
either  bones  in  a  far-gone  state  of  decay,  or  more  generally 
the  ashy  appearance  or  deposit  of  bones  already  decayed. 
These  conical  mounds  occasionally  contain  arrow  and  spear 
heads,  and  pottery,  but  more  generally  are  entirely  destitute 
of  articles  manufactured.  The  state  of  preservation  of  the 
bones  in  the  mounds,  depends  mainly  on  the  amount  of  clay 
used  in  the  construction  of  the  mounds — a  compact  clay 
preserving  them  for  a  long  period,  while  in  a  loose,  porous 
soil,  they  decay  in  a  short  time. 

Another  very  important  class  of  mounds  are  called  "  ani- 
mal mounds,"  or  "  effigies  of  animals,"  the  chief  locality  of 
which,  according  to  present  discoveries,  is  Wisconsin,  al- 
though a  few  of  marked  character  have  been,  noticed  in 
Ohio  and  Michigan. 

One  of  the  most  important  of  this  class  in  Ohio,  is  "  The 
Serpent,"  in  Adams  county.  It  is  on  a  point  of  a  ridge  at 
"  Three  Forks,"  on  Brush  creek,  150  feet  above  the  creek. 
"  The  Serpent's  "  head  is  near  the  point  of  the  ridge,  and 
extends  in  graceful  undulations  and  curves  along  the  summit 
of  the  ridge  for  700  feet,  terminating  with  a  triple  coil  of 
the  tail,  the  extreme  length  being  about  1,000  feet.  The 
mouth  is  open,  evidently  attempting  to  swallow  an  egg,  or 
oval  figure,  within  its  distended  jaws.  The  egg,  or  oval 


32  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

figure,  is  an  embankment  four  feet  high,  160  feet  long,  and 
eighty  feet  in  its  greatest  diameter.  The  embankment 
representing  the  serpent  is  five  feet  high  and  thirty  feet 
wide  at  its  base,  near  the  center,  and  diminishes  a  trifle 
towards  its  head  and  tail. 

"  The  Serpent "  entered  into  the  religious  superstitious 
of  nearly  all  the  old  nations  of  Europe,  Asia,  and  Africa. 
The  Vedas  of  the  Hindoo  represents  that  the  earth  is 
placed  on  an  enormous  snake  with  100  heads,  arid  that 
when  the  snake  shakes  one  of  its  heads  it  produces  an  earth- 
quake. The  great  temple  of  Abury,  in  England,  was  built 
in  the  form  of  a  serpent  by  the  ancient  Celts.  The  snake 
also  entered  into  the  religious  ceremonies  of  the  Mexicans. 
Even  the  modern  Wiunebagoes  and  Dakotas  apply  to  the 
snake  the  word  Wakon,  or  Spirit,  and  hold  it  sacred. 

"  The  Alligator,"  in  Licking  county,  Ohio,  near  Granville, 
is  another  interesting  efligy.  Its  extreme  length  is  two 
hundred  and  fifty  feet ;  the  breadth  of  the  body,  forty  feet ; 
the  length  of  its  legs,  each,  thirty-six  feet ;  and  its  height 
from  four  to  six  feet.  At  the  right  of  the  effigy  is  a  circular 
elevation,  covered  with  stones  much  burned,  with  a  graded 
way  ten  feet  wide,  from  the  body  to  the  supposed  altar  of 
stones.  Excavations  have  been  made  in  the  "  Alligator," 
but  nothing  has  been  discovered,  except  stones  and  a  fine 
clay  used  in  building  the  effigy.  The  ancient  Egyptians 
held  the  alligator  as  sacred. 

The  effigies  of  men,  animals,  and  inanimate  things,  are 
very  numerous  throughout  Wisconsin.  The  men  mounds 
are  sometimes  with  legs,  but  more  numerously  without 
them. 

Of  the  former  class,  effigies  have  been  noticed  at  Mil- 
waukee, Waukesha,  Ripley  lake,  Sec.  26  T.  12  R.  16  E, 
Utica,  Sec.  35  T.  9  R.  4,  One-Mile  creek  (Adams  county,) 
Mauston,  and  at  Galesville.  Effigies  of  men  with  legs  occur 
at  Sec.  19  T.  9  R.  6  E.,  Honey  Creek  mills,  Sec.  9  T.  16 
R.  2  W.,  seven  miles  E.,  Blue  mounds,  Muscoda,  and  Sec. 


THE  MOUND  BUILDERS.  33 

35  T.  9  R.  1  W.     These  latter  mounds  are  represented  with 
legs  down  about  to  the  knees. 

Mr.  Win.  H.  Canfield,  near  Baraboo,  in  Sank  county, 
Wisconsin,  has  surveyed  a  mound  at  that  place  of  an  effigy 
of  a  full-length  man,  the  first  one  yet  discovered.  The 
whole  figure  is  two  hundred  and  fourteen  feet  in  length ; 
the  head  thirty  feet  long,  the  body  one  hundred,  and  the 
legs  eighty-four.  The  top  of  the  head  is  nearly  crescent 
shaped,  giving  the  effigy  a  ghostly  and  unnatural  appear- 
ance. Some  of  the  other  effigies  represent  the  head  as  split 
open  on  top,  each  half  of  which  has  fallen  part  way  to  the 
shoulders.  All  of  these  effigies  of  men  are  evidently  de- 
signed to  represent  some  spiritual  existences,  taught  by  their 
religious  superstitions. 

Another  class  of  mounds  ai'e  the  effigies  of  birds.  These 
are  mainly  distinguished  from  the  man-shaped  mounds  by 
the  representation  of  a  bill  to  the  head ;  the  body  and  wings 
corresponding  with  the  body  and  arms  of  the  man.  These 
bird-shaped  mounds  occur  at  Waukesha,  Honey  creek,  Sec. 
3  T.  10  R.  7  E.,  Sec.  5  T.  10  R.  7  E.,  Sec.  6  T.  8  R.  5  W., 
English  Prairie,  in  Iowa  county,  and  Sec.  16  T.  8  R.  1  W. 
They  are  only  about  as  numerous  as  the  man-shaped  mounds. 
There  is  no  attempt  in  these  effigies  to  represent  any  par- 
ticular species  of  the  bird  that  we  can  recognize,  although 
they  differ  in  their  outlines,  and  in  the  imagination  of  the 
Mound-Builders  they  may  have  represented  different  birds. 

Another  quite  numerous  class  are  what  Mr.  Laphani  de- 
nominates the  "  Turtle  Mounds,"  which  occur  very  numer- 
ously in  the  south-eastern  part  of  Wisconsin.  One  figured 
by  him  at  Waukesha  has  an  extreme  length  of  one  hundred 
and  seventy -six  feet,  of  Avhich  one  hundred  and  thirty  feet 
belongs  to  the  tail  If  turtles  in  the  days  of  the  Mound- 
Builders  had  tails  of  this  capacity,  they  must  have  wonder- 
fully deteriorated  in  their  tailships  at  the  present  day.  It 
might  have  been  intended  to  represent  the  lizard,  but  it 
comes  much  nearer  the  tadpole  or  polliwog,  at  that  state  of 
3 


34  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

its  existence  when  it  begins  to  develop  the  feet.  The 
peculiar  development  of  the  tadpole  might  well  have  at- 
tracted the  attention  of  these  superstitious  people. 

Well  delineated  turtles  of  the  modern  day  are  repre- 
sented by  mounds  south-west  of  Galesville,  in  which  the 
tail  is  represented  as  not  much  larger  than  the  head  and 
neck.  These  turtle  mounds  are  about  thirty-six  feet  long 
from  the  end  of  the  nose  to  the  end  of  the  tail,  and  twenty- 
seven  feet  between  the  fore  feet. 

Near  these  turtle  mounds  is  an  effigy  of  a  frog,  nine  yards 
long;  nine  yards  between  the  ends  of  the  fore  feet,  and 
eleven  yards  between  the  ends  of  the  hind  feet.  He  was 
probably  of  the  bull-frog  species.  But  the  animal  effigies 
are  too  numerous  for  the  writer's  limits  to  describe,  and  he 
will  only  remark,  that  at  Galesville  there  are  effigies  of  man, 
and  of  the  frog,  turtle,  deer,  bear,  and  perhaps  the  buffalo, 
the  most  numerous  of  which  are  the  deer.  Near  Honey 
creek,  in  Sec.  19  T.  9  R.  6,  are  the  bear  and  buffalo;  at 
Mayville,  the  fox  and  beaver;  at  Horricon,  the  otter;  at 
Ripley  lake,  the  serpent.  At  these  places  and  many  others 
there  are  a  great  variety  of  effigies,  probably  intended  to 
represent  the  different  kinds  of  animals  known  to  the 
Mound-Builders  ;  many  of  which,  however,  may  have  been 
entirely  imaginary,  but  among  which  the  worm  is  con- 
spicuous. 

What  object  the  Mound-Builders  had  in  the  laborious 
erection  of  these  numerous  effigies,  of  course  we  can  only 
conjecture.  Some  have  supposed  that  they  were  intended 
to  represent  the  totem  or  town  to  which  the  deceased  be- 
longed, since  many  of  the  tribes  of  the  present  day  use  the 
pictures  of  animals  to  represent  the  tribe,  as  the  English  use 
the  coat  of  arms  to  represent  the  family.  This  is  based  on 
two  suppositions,  entirely  without  evidence :  first,  that  the 
Mound-Builders  used  totems,  like  the  modern  Indians  ;  and, 
secondly,  that,  unlike  the  modern  Indians,  they  raised 
mounds  to  represent  their  totems. 


THE  MOUND  BUILDERS.  35 

The  second  suggestion  is,  that  they  had  names  like  the 
modern  Indians ;  as,  Black  Hawk,  White  Bear,  Buffalo, 
etc.,  and  that  their  burial  mounds  were  in  imitation  of  the 
animal  whose  name  they  bore.  But  those  suggestions  are 
not  only  based  on  two  suppositions,  like  the  previous,  with- 
out evidence,  but  ignore  the  fact  that  many  modern  Indians 
have  names  that  can  not  be  represented  by  an  animal; 
such  as,  Sleepy  Eyes,  WJiirling  Thunder,  IIole-in-the-Day, 
Clear  Sky,  Screamer,  etc.  According  to  that,  such  chiefs 
must  go  without  honor  to  the  next  world ;  or,  like  the 
poisoned  sailor,  he  must  be  buried  without  a  funeral,  be- 
cause the  church  had  no  prayers  for  such  a  case  of  death. 

May  we  not  with  far  more  probability  infer,  that  these 
animal  effigies  were  connected  with  the  religious  supersti- 
tions of  the  race,  and  that,  as  most  heathen  nations  believe 
in  the  transmigration  of  souls  to  animals,  these  effigies  may 
have  been  designed  to  perpetuate  the  name  of  the  animal 
that  the  priest  or  relatives  had  directed  the  departed  soul  to 
•enter.  The  doctrine  of  the  transmigration  of  souls  was, 
among  many  others,  taught  by  Pythagoras  and  Plato,  and 
has  been  illustrated  by  the  poet  Dryden  in  the  following ; 

"  In  life's  next  scene  of  transmigration  be, 
Some  bear  or  lion  is  reserved  for  thee." 

Thus,  the  reader's  attention  has  been  called  to  some  of 
the  principal  facts  connected  with  the  life  and  death  of  the 
Mound-Builders ;  but  volumes  will  not  exhaust  the  subject, 
nor  generations  perfect  their  history.  Much  will  yet  be 
learned,  as  new  discoveries  are  made,  and  the  mounds  fur- 
ther examined  in  the  progress  of  civilization. 

By  evidence  satisfactory  to  the  human  mind,  we  know 
that  they  lived  in  great  numbers  throughout  a  vast  region, 
labored,  sported,  loved,  were  given  in  marriage,  begat 
children,  nurtured  them  with  parental  care,  worshiped,  and 
died,  and  that  their  friends  built  monuments  to  their 
memory. 


36  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

To  the  infidel,  alas !  this  is  all  there  is  of  man,  but  to  the 
Christian  there  yet  remains  the  Upper  Sanctuary,  the  glories 
of  which  are  not  modified  by  the  sorrows  of  humanity,  and 
where  the  intellectual  soul  will  grow  in  knowledge,  as  the 
child  does  in  stature. 

The  origin  of  the  Mound-Builders  can  only  be  the  subject 
of  speculation.  Dr.  Morton  says,  "  That  the  study  of  physi- 
cal conformation  alone,  excludes  every  branch  of  the  Cau- 
casian race  from  any  obvious  participation  in  the  peopling 
of  this  continent;"  but  Dr.  Morton  goes  farther,  and  de- 
clares, "  that  the  organic  characters  of  the  people  them- 
selves, through  all  the  endless  ramifications  of  tribes  or 
nations,  prove  them  to  belong  to  one  and  the  same  race,  and 
that  this  race  is  distinct  from  all  others."  This  conclusion 
is  reached  by  the  doctor  in  the  examination  of  the  skulls 
from  different  parts  of  the  world,  and  is  very  sweeping, 
when  we  take  under  consideration  the  fact  that  no  two  skulls 
ever  examined,  agreed  with  each  other  in  every  particular. 

But  the  arguments  of  Dr.  Morton  at  least  tend  to  show 
the  great  antiquity  of  the  American  race ;  and  with  the  fact 
that  neither  the  Mound-Builders  nor  the  present  Indian  race 
have  had  the  religious  ceremonies  of  any  of  the  Asiatics, 
Europeans,  or  Africans,  to  our  knowledge,  nor  an  acquaint- 
ance with  any  written  language,  we  may  well  infer  that  they 
did  not  have  their  origin  from  the  eastern  continent  since  the 
knowledge  of  letters,  or  since  the  present  religious  cere- 
monies were  established.  Another  similar  argument  exists 
in  the  want  of  identity  of  their  language  with  that  of  any  of 
the  known  languages  of  the  eastern  continent. 

The  age  of  trees  growing  on  the  mounds  has  been  ex- 
amined, and  nearly  1,000  years  into  antiquity  have  been 
reached ;  but  the  mounds,  or  at  least  some  of  them,  were 
then  standing. 

The  time  at  which  the  Mound-Builders  abandoned  this 
country,  or  were  exterminated  by  war,  is  entirely  lost,  and 
gone  beyond  our  reach. 


THE  MOUND  BUILDERS.  37  ' 

It  is  conceded  that  the  modern  Indian  tribes  have  no  tra- 
ditions of  the  Mound-Builders  or  of  the  mounds.  It  is  true 
that  David  Cusie,  an  educated  Tuscarora,  in  1825,  compiled 
the  traditions  of  the  Iroquois,  or  six  nations,  in  which  he 
claimed  that  the  Iroquois  had  fought  an  ancient  people, 
probably  the  Mound-Builders,  for  several  hundred  years, 
and  finally  exterminated  them.  Mr.  Galletin,  however,  not 
only  pronounces  the  tradition  fabulous,  but  a  closer  investi- 
gation into  the  tradition  proves  that  it  more  probably  relates 
to  the  Kah-Kwah,  or  Eries,  which  they  conquered  in  1655. 

The  Delawares  had  also,  in  1819,  come  in  for  ancient 
fame ;  and  as  related  to  Mr.  Heckewelder,  their  Moravian 
missionary,  had  a  tradition  claiming  that  when  the  Dela- 
wares removed  east  of  the  Mississippi,  they  found  a  people 
who  called  themselves  the  Attegewi,  and  who  had  fortifica- 
tions which  were  of  gigantic  height.  The  Delawares  called 
to  their  aid  the  Iroquois,  who,  they  said,  then  lived  on  the 
Mississippi,  and  after  a  long  war,  conquered  and  drove  the 
Allegewi  down  the  Mississippi.  General  Cass,  who  was 
personally  acquainted  with  the  missionary,  at  once  classed 
the  tradition  as  a  humbug,  got  up  to  excite  the  gullibility  of 
their  missionary,  a  business  in  which  the  Indians  are  known 
to  be  adepts.  In  this  class  may  be  placed  the  tradition  by 
"  De-coo-dah,"  of  the  Winnebagoes,  as  related  by  Mr. 
William  Pidgeon. 

This  tradition  is,  in  effect,  denied  by  the  Iroquois,  as  they 
claim  that  they  wrere  created  in  New  York,  and  never  lived 
on  the  Mississippi,  and  have  no  tradition  of  any  league  with 
the  Delawares.  The  latter  tribe  may  have  assisted  the 
Iroquois  in  driving  the  Akansea  down  the  Mississippi  about 
1661. 

The  traditions  of  the  Aztecs,  the  ancient  people  of  Mexico, 
are  supposed  to  give  some  light  on  the  question  of  "  What 
became  of  the  Mound-Builders?"  By  those  traditions' they 
claim,  that  about  1160,  they  left  their  town  in  the  north, 
called  Aztalan,  or  place  near  the  large  water,  and  journeyed 


38  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

scmth  for  one  hundred  and  sixty-five  years,  when  they 
descried  "  an  eagle  grasping  in  its  claws  a  writhing  ser- 
pent, and  resting  on  a  cactus  which  sprung  from  a  rock  in 
the  Lake  Tescoco."  "  This  had  been  designated  by  the 
Aztec  oracles  as  the  spot  where  the  tribe  should  settle." 
This  was  the  foundation  of  the  city  of  Mexico. 

Mr.  Humboldt,  who  examined  critically  the  traditions  of 
the  Mexicans,  has  declared  that  none  of  their  traditions, 
running  back  100  years  before  their  conquest  by  the  Spanish 
in  1520,  are  entitled  to  serious  consideration.  The  same 
may  be  said  of  Indian  traditions  generally.  Mr.  Bartlett, 
who  was  at  the  head  of  the  United  States  boundary  com- 
mission, and  gave  much  attention  to  the  subject,  says  :  "I 
have  been  unable  to  learn  from  what  source  the  prevailing 
idea  has  arisen,  of  the  migration  of  the  Aztecs  from  the 
north  into  the  valley  of  Mexico.  The  traditions  which  gave 
rise  to  this  notion  are  extremely  vague,  and  were  not  seri- 
ously entertained  until  Torquemada,  Borturini,  and  Clavi- 
gero,  gave  them  currency.  But  they  must  now  give  way  to 
the  more  reliable  results  of  linguistic  comparison.  No 
analogy  has  yet  been  traced  between  the  language  of  the 
old  Mexicans  and  any  tribe  at  the  north  in  the  district  from 
which  they  are  supposed  to  have  come ;  nor  in  any  relics, 
ornaments,  or  works  of  art,  do  we  observe  a  resemblance 
between  them." 

We  notice  among  the  speculations  of  infidel  minds,  a 
great  readiness  to  turn  these  doubtful  questions  into  positive 
arguments  against  the  scriptural  origin  of  mankind ;  but 
they  appear  to  ignore  the  fact  that,  throughout  the  whole 
world,  man  has  the  same  general  form  of  body,  organs  of 
speech,  and  identity  of  mind,  and  however  much  either  may 
be  modified  by  education  or  locality,  no  nation  has  been 
found  lacking  any  one  of  these  prerequisites  of  man.  While 
the  African  may  have  a  head,  and  the  Esquimaux  a  body, 
below  the  average  size,  we  should  remember  that  as  great  a 
difference  often  occurs  in  a  single  family ;  and  he  who  argues 


THE  MOUND  BUILDERS.  39 

that  man  originated  from  the  monkey,  only  thereby  makes 
a  monkey  of  himself.  The  identity  of  the  present  Indians 
of  the  north-west  with  the  inhabitants  of  eastern  Asia,  has 
been  strongly  urged  to  the  writer  by  an  eminent  Presbyte- 
rian divine  who  has  spent  several  years  as  a  missionary  in 
China,  and  among  the  Chinese  in  California. 

Independent  of  tradition  or  of  language,  there  is  a  strong 
impression  on  the  minds  of  antiquarian  travelers,  of  the 
identity  of  the  Mexicans  with  the  Mound-Builders,  created 
by  the  supposed  similarity  of  their  customs  and  worship ; 
and  this  impression  is  increased  by  the  belief  that  the  con- 
quering nations  were*  from  the  north-west,  and  that  the 
fugitives  naturally  would  have  retreated  south.  Upon  that 
hypothesis,  it  is  a  strong  supposition  that  the  Mobilian  race 
along  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  were  the  conquerors;  and,  as  they 
must  have  incorporated  some  of  the  Mound-Builders  into 
their  nations,  it  might  be  expected  that  they  would  retain 
some  of  their  civilization.  This  would,  in  part,  account  for 
a  higher  civilization,  which  in  fact  did  exist  in  that  warlike 
race,  when  visited  by  De  Soto  in  1540.  But  a  doubt  is  raised 
to  the  whole  of  that  hypothesis,  as  the  center  of  the  Mound- 
Builders'  territory  was  held  by  the  Winnebago  Confederacy 
when  first  known  to  the  whites,  which  Confederacy  extended 
from  Lake  Superior  to  Arkansas  river,  and  occupied  the 
lower  Ohio  and  Missouri  rivers,  and  the  territory  west  nearly 
to  New  Mexico ;  and  if  the  Mobilians  conquered  the  Mound- 
Builders,  they  were  in  turn  driven  south  by  the  Winnebago 
Confederacy.  In  looking  further,  we  find  the  latter  Confed- 
eracy again  being  pressed  south  by  the  Dakotas,  who 
extended  from  Lake  Superior  to  the  Rocky  Mountains. 
Beyond  all  these,  come  the  great  Algonquin  nations,  ex- 
tending from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and 
north  to  the  frozen  ocean,  including  the  Esquimaux,  and 
were  probably  as  ancient  a  people  on  the  continent  as  the 
Mound-Builders  themselves.  This  antiquity  of  the  Algon- 
quin nations  not  only  make  them  cotemporary  with  the 


40  UPPEK  MISSISSIPPI. 

Mound-Builders,  but  will  account  for  the  non-discovery  of 
mounds  in  the  north,  except  along  the  south  edge  of  their 
territory. 

But  there  is  even  a  possibility  that  the  Mound-Builders 
were  converted  to  a  new  religion,  as  was  the  Pagan  Roman 
Empire  in  the  days  of  Constantine,  and  thereby  not  only 
abandoned  their  superstitions  of  building  tumuli,  but  be- 
came more  nomadic  and  warlike.  At  some  time  a  similar 
change  must  have  occurred  on  the  eastern  continent,  for 
they,  too,  have  their  tumuli  at  places,  from  England  to  the 
Indian  ocean ;  but  why  the  custom  was  abandoned,  belongs 
to  the  unlettered  ages  of  their  people.  Had  there  been  a 
change  of  religion,  a  period  of  less  than  1,000  years  would 
probably  have  erased  from  their  traditions  every  trace  of 
the  old  superstition.  But  these  speculations  are  all  unsatis- 
factory, and  we  can  only  conclude  that  Deity  filled,  with 
that  populous  nation,  some  important  niche  in  the  great 
temple  of  humanity. 


CHAPTER  II. 

TELE    INDIAN    TKIBES,   FROM    THEIR   DISCOVERY    TO    1755. 

PASSING  from  the  Mound-Builders  across  an  indefinite 
period,  variously  estimated  at  from  500  to  2,000  years,  to 
the  time  when  America  bec'ame  known  to  the  Europeans, 
we  find  the  whole  continent  peopled  with  numerous  tribes, 
speaking  different  languages,  but  identical  in  complexion 
and  physical  construction,  although  evidently  less  civilized, 
and  more  warlike  than  their  predecessors,  the  Mound- 
Builders. 

The  uniformity  in  the  physical  appearance  of  the  present 
race  will  convey  the  idea  that  they  are  the  legitimate  des- 
cendants of  the  Mound-Builders;  but  this  hypothesis  is 
nearly  destroyed  by  the  radical  difference  in  many  of  the 
tribal  languages,  and  the  total  absence  of  the  custom  of 

O          O         7 

building  mounds.  Although  less  civilized  than  the  Mound- 
Builders,  yet  they  were  not  totally  deficient  in  this  particular, 
but  still  understood  the  art  of  building  fortifications,  the 
cultivation  of  corn,  tobacco,  beans,  peas  and  pumpkins,  and 
the  construction  of  stone  knives,  axes,  arrow  and  spear- 
heads, and  bows,  arrows  and  spears ;  and  were  experts  in 
hunting,  fishing,  and  war.  They  even  possessed  considera- 
ble judgment  in  medicine,  government,  and  hieroglyphical 
writing.  Indeed,  they  were  but  little  below  the  Celts  of 
the  British  islands  at  the  time  of  the  invasion  by  Julius 
Caesar,  and  nearly  resembled,  in  their  warlike  customs,  par- 
ticularly in  taking  scalps,  the  ancient  Scythians  of  European 
3* 


42  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI 

Turkey.  Following  the  explorations  from  Columbus,  and 
including  the  first  settlements  of  the  Atlantic  coast  in  No?  ih 
America,  by  the  French,  English,  Dutch  and  Spanish,  we 
gather  the  data  that  at  that  period  the  people  of  the  region 
of  country  north  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  east  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  may  be  classified  by  their  languages 
nearly  as  follows : 

1.  The  Algonquin,  or  Ojibwa  Confederacy,  occupied  all 
the  country  to  the  frozen  regions  north  of  a  line  commenc- 
ing  near   Cape  Fear   on   the   Atlantic,  thence   extending 
westerly  to  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois  river,  thence  along  that 
river,  and  by  way  of  Lake  Michigan,  Falls  of  St.  Mary, 
Lake  Superior,  and  rivers  and  portages  to  the  Lake  of  the 
Woods,  and  thence  westerly  to  the  Rocky  mountains. 

2.  The  Mobilian,   or  Cherokee  Confederacy,  occupying 
the  country  south  of  the  line  running  westerly  from  Cape 
Fear  to  the  north  line  of  Tennessee,  thence  west  to  the 
Mississippi,  thence  by  the  Mississippi,  Arkansas  and  Cana- 
dian rivers,  to  the  Rocky  mountains. 

3.  The  O-chunk-o-raw,  or  Winnebago  Confederacy,  ex- 
tending from  Lake  Superior  to  the  Arkansas  river,  including 
the  Wisconsin  river  and  lower  Ohio,  and  extending  west  to 
the  Rocky  mountains. 

4.  The  Dakota,  or  Sioux  Confederacy,  extending  west  to 
the  Rocky  mountains  from  a  line  running  from  Kewenaw 
bay  to   the  north-eastern  corner  of  the  present  State  of 
Iowa. 

These  lines  between  the  different  Confederacies  must  be 
understood  as  only  approximating  to  correctness,  as  Indian 
boundaries  were  never  well  defined. 

Nearly  in  this  position,  the  Europeans  found  the  territory 
of  the  Mound-Builders  east  of  the  Rocky  mountains  divided 
among  four  great  Confederacies,  all  speaking  radically  dif- 
ferent languages,  but  otherwise  differing  but  little  in  man- 
ners, customs,  religion,  complexion,  or  physical  construction ; 
and  all,  like  the  Mound-Builders,  but  unlike  the  Europeans, 


THE  INDIAN  TRIBES,  ETC.  43 

used  the  pipe  and  tobacco.  From  whence  came  these 
Aborigines,  has  been  the  constant  speculation  of  our  ances- 
tors in  America ;  but  every  theory  has  failed  before  the 
light  of  investigation,  and  we  only  know  that  they  have 
long  resided  in  this  country,  and  have  a  slight  resemblance 
to  the  north-eastern  Asiatics. 

These  confederacies  were  not  generally  confederacies  of 
government,  for  they  were  divided  up  into  a  multitude  of 
independent  bands  or  tribes,  often  with  no  traditions  of  re- 
lationship, and  in  open  war  with  each  other,  and  even  un- 
able to  speak  each  other's  dialects  of  the  same  language. 
As  the  Indians  had  no  written  language,  these  dialects  were 
rapidly  formed  in  independent  bands,  and  the  obscurity  of 
the  dialect  was  in  the  ratio  of  the  time  that  any  particular 
band  had  been  separated  from  the  parent  tribe.  The  same 
change,  but  with  far  less  rapidity,  exists  in  written  languages, 
and  the  Greek  of  Athens  and  the  Latin  of  Rome  to-day, 
would  have  been  barbarian  to  Demosthenes  and  Cicero. 

The  prominent  tribes  of  the  Algonquin  Confederacy, 
which  became  distinguished  in  the  early  annals  of  New 
York,  New  England,  and  Canada,  were  the  Mohegans  of 
Massachusetts,  Abenakis  of  Maine,  Iroquois  of  New  York, 
Delawares  of  Pennsylvania,  Algonquins  of  Quebec,  Hurons 
from  Montreal  to  Lake  Huron,  Ottawas  of  the  Georgian 
bay,  Mascotens  of  Detroit,  Miamies  of  the  Wabash,  Sacs 
and  Foxes  and  Pottowatomies  of  Saginaw  bay  and  Lake 
Michigan,  Chippeways  of  the  Falls  of  St.  Mary,  and  Chris- 
tinaux  of  Hudson's  bay. 

When  the  navigator,  Samuel  Champlain,  founded  Quebec 
in  1608,  he  ascertained  that  the  Algonquin  tribe  at  Quebec 
was  at  war  with  the  tribes  of  New  York ;  and  believing  that 
it  was  necessary  to  live  in  harmony  with  his  immediate 
neighbors,  entered  into  an  alliance  with  them,  offensive  and 
defensive.  Pursuant  to  such  alliance,  he  led  a  war  party 
of  the  Algonquins  against  the  Iroquois  in  July,  1809,  and  on 
the  30th  of  the  same  month  attacked  a  war  party  of  200 


44  UPPEIi  MISSISSIPPI. 

Iroquois  at  a  cape  near  Ticonderoga,  on  the  west  side  of 
Lake  Champlain,  and  put  them  to  flight.  The  honors  gained 
in  this  victory  with  fire-arms  over  bows  and  arrows,  was  of 
little  account ;  but  in  the  progress  of  civilization  it  marked 
an  important  period,  as  the  campaign  discovered  a  new 
lake,  to  which  Champlain  attached  his  own  name,  and  inau- 
gurated a  war  that  was  only  permanently  terminated  by  the 
surrender  of  Canada  to  the  English,  one  hundred  and  fifty- 
one  years  afterwards.  The  war  which  Champlain  volunta- 
rily assumed  iii  1609,  became  a  necessity  the  following  year, 
for  a  considerable  war  party  of  the  Iroquois  invaded 
Canada,  seeking  revenge  for  their  misfortunes  of  the  pre- 
vious year. 

Champlain,  by  presents,  and  the  terror  produced  by  his 
fire-arms,  succeeded  in  winning  over  to  the  side  of  the 
Algonquins,  the  Hurons,  who  were  kindred  of  the  Iroquois, 
and  engaged  them  to  join  him  in  the  war  against  their 
brethren.  Thus  strengthened,  he  attacked  the  war  party  of 
the  Iroquois,  who  had  hastily  fortified  themselves  on  the  St. 
Johns  river,  and  totally  defeated  them,  even  before  the 
arrival  of  his  200  Huron  allies. 

This  defeat,  together  with  the  defection  of  the  Hurons, 
seems  to  have  struck  the  Iroquois  with  terror,  and  it  was 
probably  under  these  circumstances  that  the  five  Iroquois 
bands  formed  themselves  into  a  confederacy,  oifensive  and 
defensive,  which  made  them  'SO  powerful  in  subsequent 
years.  They  were  also  greatly  exasperated  at  the  Hurons, 
who  had  thus  voluntarily  abandoned  them,  and  had  gone 
over  to  their  enemies,  and  ever  afterwards  held  against  them 
the  spirit  of  revenge.  Profiting  by  their  experience,  the 
Iroquois  fortified  their  villages  against  lire-arms,  and  •  pre- 
pared for  the  war  with  the  judgment  of  more  civilized 
nations.  The  northern  allies,  impatient  for  new  victories, 
and  having  been  attacked  by  war  parties  north  of  Lake 
Ontario,  induced  Champlain  to  head  another  war  party  in 
1615.  This  party  was  organized  at  the  east  end  of  the 


THE  INDIAN  TRIBES,  ETC.  45 

Georgian  bay,  which  point  Champlaiu  reached  by  way  of 
the  Ottawa  river  and  Lake  Nipissing,  on  the  first  day  of 
August.  On  the  first  day  of  September  the  allied  forces 
started  on  their  expedition.  They  passed  through  Lake 
Simcoe,  made  a  portage  to  the  head  waters  of  the  Trent 
river,  which  stream  they  passed  down,  and  discovered  Lake 
Ontario.  This  country  was  found  destitute  of  inhabitants, 
they  having  lately  been  driven  back  by  war  parties  of  the 
Iroquois.  Crossing  at  the  foot  of  Lake  Ontario,  Champlain 
hid  his  canoes,  and  journeyed  by  laud  five  days  in  a  south- 
erly direction,  and  on  the  10th  of  October  reached  the 
Iroquois  fort,  near  a  considerable  lake,  supposed  to  be 
Cayuga.  This  fort  the  allied  forces  besieged  until  the  16th 
of  the  same  month,  when  Champlain,  having  been  twice 
wounded,  and  many  of  his  allies  killed  and  wounded,  the 
Indians  refused  to  continue  the  siege,  and  the  allies  retreated. 
Champlain  returned  to  the  Georgian  bay,  where  he  was 
forced  to  remain  until  spring,  on  account  of  the  ice,  and 
only  reached  Quebec  the  following  year,  apparently  dis- 
gusted with  his  Indian  war. 

In  1629  the  English  took  possession  of  Quebec,  and 
carried  Champlain  to  England;  and  for  three  years  the 
Indians  were  left  free  from  French  intrigue  to  settle  their 
own  difficulties.  The  Iroquois,  taking  advantage  of  the 
absence  of  their  new  French  enemies,  mustered  their  war- 
riors, and  inarched  into  the  Huron  country.  The  Hurons 
gathered  together  their  allies,  and  fought  a  great  battle, 
some  where  between  Lakes  Ontario  and  Huron,  and  were 
defeated.  They  then  sued  for  peace,  which  was  granted, 
and  the  Hurons  and  Iroquois  were  again  united  and  the 
tomahawk  buried ;  and  when  the  French  returned  to  Canada 
in  1632,  the  Hurons  and  Algonquins  positively  refused  to 
renew  the  war,  or  permit  the  Jesuit  priests  to  establish  a 
mission  on  Lake  Huron.  The  French  brought  to  bear 
upon  the  untutored  savages  all  their  arts  in  diplomacy,  and 


46  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

in  1634  finally  obtained  leave  for  their  priests  to  renew  the 
mission  to  Lake  Huron. 

The  Iroquois  continued  to  regard  the  French  as  their 
enemies,  and  a  kind  of  semi-war  existed  for  some  years, 
until  finally,  in  1648,  the  pent-up  volcano  broke  forth,  and 
the  powerful  war  parties  of  the  Iroquois,  fully  armed  with 
fire-arms  obtained  from  the  Dutch,  swept  the  whole  Huron 
country,  and  both  shores  of  Lake  Huron.  The  allied  tribes, 
in  great  numbers,  rallied  and  fortified  the  Island  of  Mack- 
inaw, where,  in  about  .1652,  they  were  again  attacked  by 
about  3,000  Iroquois  warriors,  and  totally  defeated.  A 
remnant  of  the  Ottawas  and  Chippeways  took  shelter  in  the 
dark  pine  forests  of  Lake  Superior,  while  the  Sacs  and 
Foxes,  and  the  Maseotens  and  Miamies,  and  their  kindred 
the  Kickapoos,  planted  themselves  on  the  territory  of  the 
Winnebagoes,  along  the  Fox  and  Wisconsin  rivers,  and  a 
fragment  of  the  Hurons  passed  across  the  State  of  Wiscon- 
sin, and  obtained  a  resting  place  on  the  Iowa  river,  on  the 
borders  of  the  territory  of  the  Dakotas.  A  small  number  of 
the  Christian  Hurons,  with  their  surviving  priests,  escaped 
their  enemies,  and  formed  a  village  below  Quebec.  The 
larger  portion  of  the  Huron  nation  were  either  killed  or 
taken  prisoners  and  adopted  into  the  families  of  the  Iroquois, 
where  they  were  afterwards  recognized  by  their  Catholic 
priests. 

The  Erie,  or  Cat  bands  of  the  Huron-Iroquois  nation, 
living  along  both  shores  of  the  Niagara  river,  and  the  south- 
eastern shore  of  Lake  Erie,  called  by  the  Iroquois  the  Kah- 
JZwah,  positively  refused  to  join  their  brethren  in  that  fra- 
tricidal war,  and  continued  neutral ;  but  when  the  Hurons 
had  finally  been  expelled  the  country,  the  neutrals  were 
charged  by  the  Iroquois  with  giving  protection  to  their 
enemies,  and  failing  to  render  satisfaction,  they  too  were 
attacked,  and  after  a  severe  struggle  of  three  years,  were, 
in  the  fall  of  1655,  finally  defeated,  and  shared  the  same  fate 
as  their  brothers  the  Hurons,  except  no  remnants  of  the 


THE  INDIAN  TRIBES,  ETC.  49 

tribe  have  ever  since  been  heard  of,  that  were  not 'prisoners 
in  the  hands  of  their  captors.  The  French  are  supposed  to 
have  originated  this  war,  as  their  priests  urged  its  vigorous 
prosecution  early  in  1655. 

Suggestions  have  been  made  by  some  authors  that  the 
Shawnees,  who  were  afterwards  driven  from  the  Ohio  to 
Tennessee,  might  have  been  a  remnant  of  the  Eries ;  but 
that  hypothesis  is  destroyed  by  the  fact  that  the  Shawnees 
spoke  a  dialect  of  the  Miami-Algonquin,  while  the  Eries 
spoke  the  dialect  of  the  Huron-Iroquois. 

It  is  not,  however,  probable  that  a  nation  numbering  in 
1625  nearly  15,000,  were  so  nearly  annihilated;  and  we 
may  reasonably  suppose  that  hundreds  of  them  fled  to 
friendly  tribes  in  the  west,  where  they  became  merged  and 
lost  sight  of  in  a  single  generation.  The  same  suggestion 
might  be  made  with  force  with  reference  to  the  Hurons, 
who  were  also  very  numerous  before  the  war. 

After  the  defeat  of  the  Eries,  war  parties  of  the  Iroquois 
sought  their  old  enemies  in  their  hiding  places  in  Wiscon- 
sin, and  in  1660,  one  of  these  parties  became  involved  in 
difficulties  with  the  Indians  of  Illinois,  and  a  furious  war 
followed ;  and  in  the  short  period  of  two  or  three  years,  by 
the  potency  of  fire-arms  obtained  from  the  Dutch,  the  fierce 
Iroquois  drove  a  bleeding  remnant  of  the  Shawnees  of 
Northern  Kentucky  and  Southern  Ohio  back  upon  the  Ten- 
nessee river;  the  tall  Arkansea,  of  the  lower  Ohio  valley, 
down  the  Mississippi  to  Arkansas  river ;  the  powerful  Illi- 
nois, west  of  the  Mississippi ;  and  the  Mascotens,  Kickapoo 
and  Miamies,  to  the  Wisconsin  river.  This  fierce  war  was 
short,  as  the  Iroquois  in  the  mean  time  became  involved, 
probably  by  French  intrigue,  in  a  war  with  their  powerful 
neighbors,  the  Mohegans  and  Delawares.  This  latter  war 
commenced  probably  about  1664,  and  the  French  claimed 
in  1680  that  the  Iroquois  had  nearly  annihilated  the  Andas- 
tognes  and  Mohegans.  We  know  that  the  Delawares,  in 
16 75,  were  driven  by  the  Iroquois  south  upon  the  lower 
4' 


50  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

Potomac,  where  they  committed  some  depredations  upon 
the  white  settlers  in  Maryland  and  Virginia,  and  that  six  of 
their  chiefs  visited  Captain  Washington,  the  great-grand- 
father of  General  Washington,  who  was  captain  in  the 
Militia  of  Virginia,  to  settle  the  difficulties,  and  Captain 
Washington  murdered  the  whole  of  them ;  whereupon  the 
Governor  of  Virginia  reprimanded  him,  by  saying  that  he 
would  not  have  murdered  them,  under  the  circumstances, 
if  "  they  had  killed  his  own  father  and  mother."  This  act 
of  barbarity  of  Captain  Washington  was  revenged  by  the 
Indians,  when  the  Militia  of  Maryland  and  Virginia  attacked 
the  Delawares,  and  drove  them  back  upon  the  Iroquois. 
The  Delawares  then  sued  for  and  negotiated  a  peace  with 
their  northern  conquerors.  By  the  traditions  of  both  tribes, 
it  is  said  that,  at  the  conclusion  of  a  peace  between  them, 
after  a  long  war,  which  was  probably  the  aforesaid  treaty, 
the  Iroquois  prescribed  as  the  terms  of  the  peace,  that  the 
Delawares  should  take  the  condition  of  squaws,  and  not  go 
to  war  without  the  consent  of  their  conquerors,  which  the 
latter  tribe  agreed  to,  and  were  only  restored  to  the  condi- 
tion of  warriors  by  Colonel  Johnson,  the  Indian  agent  in 
New  York,  in  1756. 

The  bold  and  Avarlike  Iroquois,  however,  did  not  neglect 
their  old  enemies  the  French  in  the  midst  of  their  compli- 
cated warfare,  but  repeatedly  sent  their  war  parties  to 
harrass  them,  and  compelled  them  to  keep  constantly  forti- 
fied. A  record  of  about  1651  said:  "Hardly  do  those 
savages  let  us  pass  a  day  without  alarms.  They  are  ever 
at  our  skirts ;  no  month  passes  that  our  bills  of  mortality  do 
not  show,  in  lines  of  blood,  indications  of  the  deadly  nature 
of  their  inroads."  The  Jesuit  delations  of  1653,  speaking 
on  this  subject,  said :  "  The  war  with  the  Iroquois  has 
dried  up  all  sources  of  prosperity.  .  .  .  Crowds  of 
Hurons  no  longer  descend  from  their  country  with  furs  for, 
trade.  The  Algonquin  country  is  dispeopled ;  and  the  na- 


THE  INDIAN  TRIBES,  ETC.  51 

tions  beyond  it  are  retiring  further  away  still,  fearing  the 
musketry  of  the  Iroquois." 

In  these  exigencies,  the  Canadians  asked  France  for  help, 
and  in  1653  received  a  considerable  reinforcement  of  picked 
colonists,  under  the  prestige  of  which  they  made  a  treaty  of 
peace  with  the  four  western  bands  of  the  Iroquois  the  fol- 
lowing year,  but  the  Mohawks  refused  to  join.  Under  this 
treaty,  in  1656,  the  French  sent  Captain  Dupuis  Avith  fifty 
men,  and  established  a  fort  among  the  Onondagas,  but  this 
excited  the  alarm  of  this  band.  Forewarned  of  their  danger 
by  a  dying  Indian,  the  French  fled  from  the  country.  The 
Mohawks  followed  with  four  hundred  warriors,  but  failed  to 
overtake  the  fugitives.  They,  however.,  passed  beyond 
Quebec,  and  captured  ninety  of  the  Hurons  on  the  Island 
of  Orleans.  Wars  arid  alarms  followed,  and  in  the  fall  of 
1658  the  Governor  of  Canada  represented  to  France  that  if 
"  succor  were  not  accorded,  Canada  would  be  irretrievably 
lost  to  France,"  and  demanded  3,000  regular  troops  or  six 
hundred  colonists. 

During  this  period  the  French  repeatedly  attempted  to 
break  up  the  Iroquois  Confederacy,  by  negotiating  a  peace 
with  the  separate  bands,  and  involve  them  in  a  new  civil 
war,  but  all  these  efforts  were  defeated  by  the  confederacy. 
In  1662  the  Governor  again  applied  to  France  for  help,  and 
obtained  400  soldiers.  The  following  year  165  colonists 
were  received.  The  whole  subject  finally  came  under  dis- 
cussion by  the  French  ministry,  and  in  May,  1664,  the  gov- 
ernment of  Canada  was  turned  over  to  the  "  West  India 
Company "  by  a  royal  edict,  and  Marquis  de  Tracy  ap- 
pointed viceroy  over  all  New  France.  He  landed  at  Quebec 
in  June  of  the  following  year,  with  four  companies  of 
troops  ;  and  twenty  companies  more,  with  many  colonists, 
followed  by  December.  He  immediately  set  himself  to 
fortifying  the  country,  and  during  the  following  winter  sent 
an  army  into  the  Mohawk  country,  which  found  the  Indian 
country  nearly  deserted,  but  succeeded  in  burning  the  Indian 


52  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

cabins  and  corn.  With  this  display  of  force,  and  by  nego- 
tiations, a  peace  was  concluded  in  the  summer  of  1666  with 
the  whole  Iroquois  Confederacy,  which  lasted  nearly  eight- 
een years,  and  was  hailed  with  great  joy  by  the  whole  of 
New  France. 

We  have  thus  seen  that  the  inauguration  of  the  plan  to 
disregard  the  rights  of  the  Indians,  and  make  them  sub- 
servient to  the  interests  of  the  whites,  by  the  French  of 
Canada,  nearly  ruined  their  early  attempts  to  establish  an 
empire  in  the  new  world,  and  added  new  proof  that  the 
great  law  of  justice  could  not  be  trifled  with,  even  against 
the  American  "  savages ;"  but  it  took  more  than  a  century 
for  our  ancestors  to  become  convinced  of  its  truth.  Mas- 
sachusetts, however,  learned  it  in  King  Phillip's  war ;  and 
the  Dutch  of  New  Amsterdam  learned  it  after  the  massacres 
of  the  Indians  by  the  orders  of  Director  Keift ;  while  the 
pious  Quakers  of  Pennsylvania  proved  the  truth  of  the 
proposition,  by  practicing  "  good  faith  and  good  will "  to 
the  warlike  Delawares,  for  not  a  drop  of  Quaker  blood  was 
ever  shed  by  that  nation. 

Soon  after  the  close  of  the  Iroquois  war  in  the  north-west, 
the  Knisteneux,  or  Christenaux,  a  powerful  Algonquin  na- 
tion to  the  south  of  Hudson's  bay,  having  obtained  fire-arms 
from  the  English  traders  at  that  bay,  and  being  probably 
joined  by  many  of  the  fugitives  from  Canada  who  had 
escaped  into  that  country,  commenced  a  war  on  the  Dakotas 
of  the  upper  Mississippi.  This  war  in  1671  became  general 
ah1  along  the  line  of  the  Algonquin  nations  on  the  east,  who 
had  taken  possession  of  Dakota  territory,  as  far  south  as  the 
Wisconsin  river.  In  the  spiing  of  that  year  the  chivalrous 
Dakotas  returned  to  the  Jesuit  missionaries  at  the  head  of 
Lake  Superior  the  presents  they  had  received  from  them, 
and  notified  the  eight  fugitive  nations  at  that  point,  whom 
the  missionaries  declared  were  the  aggressors,  to  leave  the 
country,  and  soon  followed  up  the  notice  with  fierce  war 
parties,  who  speedily  swept  the  whole  Lake  Superior 


THE  INDIAN  TKIBE8,  ETC.  53 

region  of  their  new  enemies.  These  bands  of  warriors, 
however,  still  respected  the  territory  of  the  Ha-ha-ton-wa, 
or  dwellers  at  the  Falls  of  St.  Mary,  and  stopped  their 
advance  a  few  leagues  short  of  that  point.  This  war  con- 
tinued until  1679,  when  the  French  interceded,  and  Captain 
Du  Lut  visited  the  head  of  Lake  Superior  and  negotiated 
a  peace  between  the  Knisteneux  and  Chippeways,  and  the 
Assiuiboins,  the  northern  band  of  the  Dakotas,  which  in- 
habited the  country  from  the  head  of  Lake  Superior  west, 
leaving  the  southern  bands  of  the  Dakotas  to  continue  their 
war  with  the  several  Algonquin  tribes  on  the  Wisconsin 
river,  and  the  Illinois,  who  had  become  allies  of  the  latter 
tribes.  This  peace  was  "another  intrigue  of  the  French,  like 
that  with  the  Hurons,  and  produced  another  civil  war. 

While  the  war  was  progressing  with  the  Delawares,  an 
Illinois  chief,  in  open  council,  at  the  French  post  at  Macki- 
naw, unprovoked,  stabbed  and  killed  a  chief  of  the  Iroquois. 
This  outrage  never  having  been  settled,  the  Iroquois,  in 
1680,  sent  a  war  party  of  about  600  to  take  the  usual  re- 
venge on  the  Illinois.  This  war  party  was  joined  by  the 
Miamies,  and  in  September  attacked  the  Illinois,  then  on 
the  river  of  that  name,  and  killed  and  took  prisoners  over 
1,200,  and  drove  the  balance  of  the  tribe,  as  fugitives,  west 
of  the  Mississippi.  This  attack  was  while  the  party  of  La 
Salle  was  on  the  Illinois  river,  some  of  whom  were  wounded 
in  attempting  to  negotiate  for  the  Illinois.  About  three 
years  subsequent  to  this,  another  war  party  of  the  Iroquois 
of  about  1,000  attempted  to  surprise  the  Foxes  of  Wisconsin 
in  their  winter's  hunt.  They  passed  along  the  north  shore 
of  Lake  Huron  late  in  the  fall,  and  sought  the  Foxes  near 
the  head-waters  of  the  Wisconsin  river,  as  it  was  supposed  ; 
or,  as  some  have  it,  near  the  Kewenaw  bay  of  Lake  Su- 
perior. The  Foxes,  fortunately  warned  by  two  Chippe- 
ways who  had  seen  the  party,  fortified  themselves  on  a 
narrow  neck  of  land  between  two  small  lakes,  and  after  a 
desperate  struggle  for  several  days,  repulsed  the  Iroquois 


54  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

with  heavy  loss.  Indeed,  the  Foxes  claimed  that  they 
nearly  destroyed  the  whole  party.  The  story  of  this  battle 
was  related  to  La  Hontan,  while  he  was  on  the  upper  Missis- 
sippi in  1688,  by  three  Fox  chiefs,  with  great  pomp  and 
flourish;  and  Captain  Carver,  who  visited  that  region  in 
1766  and  1767,  had  repeatedly  related  to  him  by  the  Chip- 
peways  the  tradition  of  the  battle.  This  defeat  seems  -to 
have  mainly  closed  the  war  of  the  Iroquois  in  the  north- 
west, inaugurated  by  Champlain  by  his  alliance  with  the 
Hurons  seventy-three  years  previous. 

But  if  the  Iroquois  sent  no  more  powerful  war  parties  to 
the  north-west,  it  was  not  on  account  of  a  lack  of  ability  to 
do  so,  but  because  the  French  took  up  the  cause  of  the  Illi- 
nois, and  threatened  to  renew  the  war  against  the  Iroquois 
unless  the  latter  tribes  desisted  in  their  attacks  on  th« 
French  allies  of  the  north-west.  This  demand  of  the  French 
the  Iroquois  flatly  denied,  and  to  show  their  contempt  for 
the  French,  sent  a  war  party  against  Fort  St.  Louis.  The 
French  sent  their  popular  traders  to  the  north-west,  who 
brought  down  to  Niagara  large  bands  of  the  Hurons,  Otta- 
was,  Foxes  and  other  tribes ;  but  the  Governor  of  Canada, 
wasting  his  time  in  corresponding  with  Governor  Dongan, 
of  New  York,  failed  to  meet  them  at  Niagara  as  agreed,  to 
the  great  disgust  of  his  allies.  The  Governor  of  Canada 
finally  reached  the  south  shore  of  Lake  Ontario,  at  a  point 
above  Oswego,  ever  since  called  "Anse  de  la  Famine," 
where  many  of  his  troops  died  with  famine  and  local  dis- 
eases. Here  he  met  a  delegation  of  Iroquois,  and  concluded 
a  treaty  with  them,  leaving  out  the  chief  point  of  their  dis- 
pute, to  the  disgust  of  all  Canada.  Indeed.,  "  the  arrogant 
chief  of  the  Mohawks  "  told  the  governor  in  council,  that 
"  so  far  from  leaving  the  Illinois  in  peace,  war  against  them 
is  meant,  till  one  of  our  tribes  is  exterminated."  As  soon 
as  the  report  of  this  treaty  reached  France,  it  was  rejected 
by  the  French  ministry,  the  governor  was  removed  (1685), 
and  M.  Denonville,  with  600  troops,  was  sent  to  Canada  to 


THE  INDIAN  TRIBES,  ETC.  55 

supersede  him  and  conquer  their  Indian  enemies.  The  sum- 
mer of  1686  was  spent  by  the  French  in  preparing  for  war, 
and  in  hypocritical  negotiations  for  peace.  In  the  spring 
of  1687  eight  hundred  more  troops  arrived  to  reinforce  the 
Canadian  army.  With  all  this  force  Governor  Denonville 
opened  the  campaign  with  an  act  of  treachery  that  shocked 
the  moral  sensibilities  of  his  most  savage  allies.  He  sent  a 
Jesiiit  priest  to  the  Iroquois,  to  summon  a  large  delegation 
of  their  chiefs  to  hold  a  council  and  settle  all  difficulties. 
When  these  chiefs  arrived  and  took  their  place  in  council, 
a  position  sacred  in  the  eyes  of  even  the  King  of  Dahomey, 
the  governor  meanly  arrested  and  sent  them  in  chains  to 
France,  leaving  the  poor  priest  as  a  kind  of  hostage  in  the 
Indian  country,  to  the  mercy  of  the  Iroquois.  To  the  credit, 
however,  of  the  Indians,  they  scorned  to  revenge  themselves 
on  the  poor  priest,  but  sent  him  under  a  safe  escort  to  his 
friends  in  Canada.  The  governor  then  led  his  troops  into 
the  Indian  country,  had  a  skirmish  with  300  Mohawks, 
who  burned  their  own  town  and  fled.  The  French  obtained 
a  quantity  of  the  Indians'  corn,  and  then  retired  from  the 
country,  making  no  attempt  to  invade  the  balance  of  the 
confederacy. 

The  retreat  of  Governor  Denonville  from  the  country  was 
the  signal  for  the  rallying  of  the  fierce  old  warriors  to  re- 
venge and  punish  an  accumulation  of  grievances ;  and 
during  the  balance  of  the  summer  and  fall  they  ravaged  all 
western  Canada  with  fire  and  tomahawk,  and  even  assaulted 
the  block-houses  about  Montreal. 

During  the  following  winter  the  French  made  a  truce 
with  the  Iroquois,  which  their  allies  were  suffered  to  contin- 
ually break;  but  finally,  in  the  spring,  the  Governor  of 
Canada  was  notified  by  the  Governor  of  New  York,  that  as 
the  Iroquois  occupied  a  part  of  the  British  territory,  the 
king  had  taken  those  Indians  under  his  protection.  Thus 
the  Indian  affairs  were  suffered  to  rest  during  the  year  1688, 
as  both  English  and  French  turned  their  attention  to  the 


56  UPPEK  MISSISSIPPI. 

revolutions  in  Europe.  The  right  of  succession  to  the  British 
crown  having  been  contested  by  the  King  of  France,  he 
declared  war  against  the  English  in  June,  1689,  and  the 
most  distant  colonies  prepared  for  their  defense  against 
invasion,  and  their  respective  Indian  allies  were  armed 
anew,  and  urged  on  by  the  exciting  influence  of  spirituous 
liquors  to  deeds  of  blood  and  carnage. 

The  Iroquois,  still  smarting  from  an  accumulation  of  in- 
juries, opened  the  campaign ;  and  on  the  5th  of  August, 
1689,  with  1,400  warriors,  disembarked  on  the  Island  of 
Montreal  in  the  dark  hours  of  the  night,  and  for  several 
leagues  devastated  the  garden  of  Canada  with  fire  and 
tomahawk,  and  Lachine  was  laid  in  ashes  by  daylight. 
They  then  passed  to  other  parishes,  and  for  ten  weeks,  al- 
most unresisted,  held  high  carnival  in  the  richest  portion  of 
that  country. 

The  following  winter,  the  French  made  a  descent  on  New 
York,  burned  Schenectady,  massacred  sixty  of  its  inhabit- 
ants, and  carried  off  twenty-seven  prisoners.  Another  party 
burned  Dover,  in  New  Hampshire,  killed  twenty-three  of 
its  inhabitants,  and  carried  off  twenty-nine  captives.  The 
Abenakis,  with  a  party  of  French,  were  sent  against  the 
settlements  of  Maine,  where  they  massacred  two  hundred 
whites,  and  burned  Casco  and  the  houses  for  some  distance 
around.  The  beautiful  settlement  of  Salmon  Falls  was  also 
burned.  In  this  conflict,  nearly  all  the  north-western  tribes 
were  hired  by  the  French  and  sent  against  the  English  and 
Dutch  colonists. 

During  this  severe  contest,  and  until  the  peace  of  1700, 
the  Foxes  and  their  allies  kept  up  their  war  parties  against 
the  Sioux,  which  very  much  offended  the  French,  as  the 
latter  nation  desired  all  the  strength  of  the  north-west 
against  the  English.  It  had  the  effect,  also,  to  nearly 
destroy  the  French  trade  with  the  Sioux,  as  the  Foxes  in- 
sisted during  the  time,  that  the  French  traders  should  not 
sell  guns  and  ammunition,  "  articles  contraband  of  war,"  to 


THE  INDIAN  TRIBES,  ETC.  57 

the  former  tribe.  The  French,  acting  on  the  principle  that 
the  Indians  had  no  rights  which  white  men  were  bound  to 
respect,  persisted  in  their  contraband  trade,  and  conse- 
quently their  traders  were  repeatedly  plundered  by  the 
Foxes  and  their  allies.  The  French  vowed  vengeance 
against  those  Indians,  but  admitted  that  they  were  in  no 
condition  to  punish  the  Indians  at  that  time,  but  treasured 
their  wrath  until  it  was  well  satiated  by  the  massacre  at 
Detroit,  in  1712. 

The  great  power  of  the  Iroquois,  backed  and  armed  as 
they  were  by  the  Dutch  and  English,  finally  induced  the 
French  to  try  diplomacy  instead  of  war  with  the  confede- 
rates, and  in  1700  they  effected  a  treaty,  which  the  follow- 
ing year  was  ratified  with  great  pomp  and  flourish  by  more 
than  twenty  of  the  north-western  tribes,  in  which  the  French 
"  buried  the  hatchet"  in  untold  depths  of  earth,  and  de- 
clared that  they  would  exterminate  the  tribe  that  first  re- 
newed the  war.  The  French  evidently  designed  at  first  to 
split  the  confederacy  and  get  up  another  civil  war,  and 
made  their  first  treaty  with  the  Senecas,  but  the  whole  con- 
federacy ratified  it,  under  their  plea  to  the  English,  that  it 
was  necessary  to  get  back  their  prisoners.  This  treaty  the 
English  opposed,  but  failed  to  defeat ;  and  in  1700  the  Earl 
of  Bellomont  made  a  treaty  with  the  Iroquois,  nearly  the 
same  month  as  that  in  which  the  treaty  was  made  by  the 
French,  by  which  the  English  and  Indians  renewed  their 
covenant  chain.  The  following  language  of  the  Earl  to  the 
Indian  chiefs,  expresses  the  feelings  of  the  parties :  "  I 
have  been  told  that  the  Jesuits  have  warned  you  not  to 
come  hither  and  enter  into  a  conference  with  me,  assuring 
you  that  I  should  meet  you  with  a  great  armed  force  here, 
to  surprise  and  cut  you  off,  and  that  when  that  failed,  I 
should  give  you  poison  to  drink  in  rum ;  but  you  shall  find 
a  treatment  so  contrary  to  what  the  Jesuits  have  insinuated 
to  you,  that  if  you  do  not  give  up  your  reason  to  those  ih1 
men,  they  will  forever  hereafter  pass  with  you  for  the 
4* 


58  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

greatest  liars  and  impostors  in  the  world,  and  men  that  are 
a  reproach  to  Christianity." 

Frequent  attempts  were  made  by  the  English  and  Dutch 
of  New  York  to  establish  posts  and  open  trade  with  the 
north-western  Indians,  but  these  parties  were  generally 
plundered  and  taken  prisoners  by  the  French.  For  the  pur- 
pose of  opening  such  a  trade,  in  1686  seven  Englishmen  and 
five  Indians  visited  Detroit,  and  the  following  year  Major 
McGregor  organized  a  party  of  sixty  young  men  of  Albany 
and  several  Mohegan  Indians,  and  with  thirty -two  canoes, 
and  merchandise  for  the  Indian  trade,  started  for  Detroit ; 
but  they  were  met  by  the  French  on  Lake  Erie,  their  goods 
plundered,  and  the  party  sent  prisoners  to  Canada,  and  not 
released  until  in  the  fall  of  that  year,  after  considerable 
negotiation  by  the  English  authorities.  Soon  after  this,  the 
French  established  a  military  post  above  Detroit,  and  the 
English,  for  the  time,  abandoned  the  trade.  After  the 
general  peace  with  the  Indian  tribes  in  1700,  the  English 
made  another  attempt  to  extend  their  trade  to  the  north- 
west, but  with  not  much  better  success ;  and  the  French 
made  the  most  strenuous  eiforts  to  keep  the  north-western 
Indians  from  even  visiting  Albany  to  trade. 

To  this  end  M.  de  Pontchartrain  wrote  from  Versailles, 
June  6th,  1708,  that  "  It  is  no  way  advisable  that  the  In- 
dians visit  Orange  (Albany)  and  other  English  settlements, 
and  an  effort  should  be  made  to  excite  a  vigorous  and 
general  war  between  these  Indians  and  the  English." 
Again,  in  a  letter  of  the  same  date,  to  the  Governor  of 
Canada,  he  says :  "  I  request  you  to  endeavor  to  so  manage 
and  engage  them  (Indians)  to  make  war  against  the  Eng 
lish,  as  to  put  a  stop  to  all  such  commercial  intercourse.' 
Accordingly,  M.  de  Tonty,  the  Commandant  of  Fort  Fronte- 
nac,  endeavored  to  stop  all  trading  parties  of  the  north- 
western Indians  from  having  intercourse  with  the  English, 
which  produced  much  dissatisfaction  among  those  tribes, 
but  did  not  entirely  stop  that  trade.  The  Indians  had 


THE  INDIAN  TBIBES,  ETC.  59 

found  that  the  English  goods  were  nearly  half  cheaper  than 
those  of  the  French,  and  the  open  forests  enabled  them  to 
escape  their  vigilance.  From  this  time  the  English  in- 
fluence began  to  gain  in  the  north-west. 

The  peace  that  had  for  a  time  existed  between  the  Sioux 
and  the  Indians  of  the  region  of  Hudson's  Bay,  was 
finally  broken,  as  the  French  believed,  by  the  influence  of 
the  English  traders  at  that  place  ;  and  in  the  fall  of  1700  the 
great  war  broke  out  between  the  Sioux  and  the  Christin- 
eaux,  in  which  the  "  Assenipoils"  (Assiniboins)  and  the 
Chippeways  joined  the  latter  tribe.  This  formidable  array 
from  the  north  created  no  little  alarm  among  the  warlike 
Dakotas ;  particularly  as  among  their  enemies  were  now 
arrayed  the  Assiuiboins,  a  part  of  their  own  confederacy, 
and  hence  "  Greek  must  meet  Greek."  The  Dakotas,  as 
skillful  in  diplomacy  as  in  war,  in  1702  made  peace  with 
the  Foxes  and  their  allies  along  the  Fox  and  Wisconsin 
rivers,  and,  to  the  chagrin  of  the  French,  engaged  the  latter 
tribes  against  their  fierce  enemies  of  the  north.  The  lowas, 
and  several  other  southern  tribes,  also  joined  the  Dakotas. 
Thus  was  organized  the  second  great  Indian  war  of  modern 
times,  which  was  continued  at  intervals  and  with  modifica- 
tions for  nearly  one  hundred  and  fifty  years.  In  later  years 
it  has  been  called  "  the  hereditary  war  between  the  Sioux 
and  Chippeways,"  and  baffled  the  diplomacy  at  times 
of  both  the  English  and  French  nations.  The  Sacs  and 
Foxes,  however,  had  had  some  difficulties  with  the  Chippe- 
ways, and  they  took  this  occasion  to  redress  them.  This  is 
confirmed  by  the  Governor  of  Canada,  in  his  dispatch  of 
November  4th,  1702,  wherein  he  writes  that  "  the  differences 
that  have  arisen  between  the  Sauteurs  (Chippeways)  and 
Sacs  and  Foxes,  had  terminated  in  mutual  acts  of  hostilities." 

The  treaty  of  1700,  formed  with  the  different  tribes  under 
the  solemn  pledges  of  the  Governor  of  Canada  that  the 
French  would  take  up  arms  against  any  -tribe  of  Indians 
who  should  make  war  on  another  tribe,  was  evidently  de- 


60  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

signed  by  the  French  as  a  treaty  to  quiet  the  Iroquois, 
while  the  Governor  used  the  other  tribes  to  make  war  on 
the  English.  It  had  but  just  been  ratified,  when  the  Gov- 
ernor of  Canada  wrote  to  the  French  Government,  that  it 
"  acquired  for  the  king  a  certain  and  incontestable  superi- 
ority in  Canada  over  all  New  England,"  and  that  the  New 
England  people  were  "  cowardly  to  an  astonishing  degree." 
In  November,  1702,  the  Governor  of  Canada  Avrote  M.  de 
Pontchartrain  that  "  I  will  not  omit  any  thing  to  get  the 
English  and  Iroquois  at  loggerheads  and  to  attach  the  latter 
to  us,  in  order  then  to  make  use  of  the  power  you  sent  me 
in  your  letter  of  the  17th  of  May,  to  undertake  something 
with  more  certainty  against  the  English." 

So  inconsistent  did  the  French  soon  appear  to  even  the 
untutored  savage,  that  the  Iroquois  chief  told  the  Governor 
of  Canada  that  "  you  tell  us  that  we  remain  quiet  on  our 
mats.  Nevertheless,  we  see  our  brothers  of  the  Sault  and 
the  Mountain,  who  ought  to  be  neutral  like  us,  strike  the 
English.  You  have  given  them  the  hatchet,  and  they  go  to 
war  against  the  English." 

From  the  treaty  of  1700,  the  French  used  their  whole 
diplomatic  art  to  engage  the  north-western  Indians  in  a  war 
against  the  English,  but  with  little  success,  owing  to  the 
great  war  then  progressing  on  the  upper  Mississippi  among 
those  nations.  They  soon  found  that  scolding  and  threat- 
ening would  not  avail  them,  and  therefore  they  appointed  a 
special  agent  to  visit  the  north-west,  to  stop  the  war,  and 
make  combinations  for  that  purpose.  On  this  subject,  the 
Governor  of  Canada,  in  his  dispatch  of  the  31st  of  October, 
1710,  remarked  that,  "As  it  is  our  interest  to  prevent  these 
Indians  waging  war  against  each  other,  so  as  to  have  it  in 
our  power  to  make  use  of  them  in  case  of  need,  should  the 
Iroquois  happen  to  declare  against  us,  M.  Raudot  and  I 
have  concluded  to  send  an  officer  thither  to  arrest  their 
hatchet,  and  have  selected,  at  the  request  of  M.  de  Ranie- 
zay,  Sieur  d'Argenteuil,  his  brother-in-law,"  etc. 


THE  INDIAN  TBIBES,  ETC.  61 

In  1 7 1 1  the  eventful  time  arrived  for  renewing  the  war 
against  the  English,  and  Governor  Vaudreuil  dispatched  De 
Tonty  to  Detroit  and  De  St.  Pierre,  by  way  of  Grand  river, 
to  bring  down  the  upper  Indians  to  Montreal,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  engaging  them  in  a  war  against  the  English.  He 
returned  with  400  or  500,  who  were  afterwards  joined  by 
others,  and  who,  in  the  language  of  the  Governor,  after 
showing  a  great  reluctance  to  "  closing  the  path  to  the 
English  ;  for,  after  all,  my  lord,  all  the  upper  nations,  even 
to  the  Indians  of  Lake  Superior,  resort  thither,"  consented 
to  take  up  the  tomahawk  against  the  English. 

But  this  force  was  far  inferior  to  that  desired  by  the 
French,  and  this  was  charged  on  the  Foxes  and  their  allies 
along  the  Wisconsin  and  Fox  rivers,  who  positively  refused 
to  stop  their  war  against  the  Chippeways,  and  engage 
against  the  English. 

However,  the  sequel  is  briefly  told  in  the  dispatch  to  M. 
de  Pontchartrain,  dated  November  6,  .1712,  wherein  it  is 
stated :  "  This  is  what  occurred  this  year,  for  the  man 
named  Saguina,  having  discovered  during  the  winter  the 
secret  to  unite  with  the  Pautawatimis  in  order  to  wage 
war  together  against  the  Maskoutens  and  the  Outagamies 
(Foxes),  not  only  destroyed  a  considerable  number  of  them 
in  the  place  where  they  were  wintering,  but  having  further 
found  means  to  win  over  almost  all  the  other  tribes  to  his 
interest,  pursued  these  unfortunate  people  as  far  as  Detroit, 
where  they  have  killed  or  taken  prisoners  nearly  a  thousand 
of  both  sexes." 

The  Governor  of  Canada,  it  will  be  observed,  is  extremely 
careful  not  to  intimate  that  the  French  had  any  hand  in  the 
massacre  at  Detroit ;  and  still  he  must  have  had  the  dispatch 
of  the  commandant  at  Detroit,  which  claimed  it  as  a  great 
French  victory.  The  facts  were  evidently  these :  During 
the  winter  of  1711  and  1712,  the  French,  by  their  agent, 
had  gained  over  to  their  interest  the  Potawatomies  and  some 
other  tribes,  which  were  then  in  alliance  with  the  Foxes  and 


<Q2  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

Maseotens,  and  while  a  large  band  of  the  latter  tribes  were 
engaged  in  their  winter's  hunt  in  the  present  State  of 
Michigan.  Early  in  the  spring,  the  Ottawas  and  their  new 
allies,  the  Potowatomies,  suddenly  attacked  and  massacred 
150  Mascotens  at  St.  Joseph's,  where  they  had  wintered,  and 
the  Chippeways  attacked  and  defeated  a  band  of  Foxes 
sixteen  miles  above  Detroit ;  whereupon  the  bands  of 
Pemoussa  and  Lamina,  of  Mascotens  and  Foxes,  including 
Avomen  and  children,  numbering  nearly  1,000,  retreated  to 
Detroit,  and  pitched  their  camp  within  fifty  paces  of  Fort 
Pontchartrain. 

This  so  alarmed  the  commandant,  M.  Dubuisson,  that,  to 
use  his  own  language,  he  "  did  not  know  on  what  saint  to 
call ;"  but  he  immediately  dispatched  messages  to  the  hostile 
nations,  and  in  a  few  weeks  there  came  together  large  bands 
of  the  Chippeways,  Ottawas,  Hurons,  Potowatomies,  aud 
lastly,  a  large  force  of  Illinois,  Missouris,  Osages,  Sacs, 
Menominies,  and  -other  remote  nations.  A  short  council 
was  held  by  the  French  and  war  chiefs,  powder  and  ball 
distributed  to  the  allies,  when  a  great  war-whoop  was  given, 
"the  earth  trembled,"  and  the  battle  commenced. 

It  progressed  with  great  violence  for  nineteen  days,  all 
being  fortified,  when  on  a  dark,  rainy  night,  the  Mascotens 
and  Foxes  fled  four  leagues  to  Presque  Isle,  near  Lake  St. 
Clair,  where  they  again  fortified,  and  were  again  besieged, 
and  after  four  days  surrendered  at  discretion.  All  but  the 
women  and  children,  and  100  men,  were  immediately  killed. 
The  100  men  were  bound,  but  made  their  escape.  What 
became  of  the  women  and  children,  the  French  commandant 
does  not  inform  us,  but  from  the  number  given  as  killed,  we 
naturally  infer  that  they  belonged  to  that  list.  Indeed,  he 
admits  that  the  Hurons  killed  all  their  prisoners.  During 
this  terrible  battle,  the  Foxes  and  Mascotens  twice  asked  for 
peace,  but  the  French  commandant  refused  it,  because,  in 
his  own  language,  he  "  understood  they  were  paid  by  the 
English  for  our  destruction." 


THE  INDIAN  TKIBES,  ETC.  63 

The  French  commandant,  in  his  boasting  dispatch,  as- 
sumed that  these  Indians  came  to  attack  him,  but  from  the  fact 
that  they  were  there  with  their  women  and  children,  at  the 
close  of  their  winter's  hunt,  made  no  attack  on  a  weak  wood 
fort  with  only  about  a  score  of  soldiers,  for  weeks,  while  the 
French  Indian  allies  were  still  absent  on  their  winter's  hunt, 
openly  protested  their  peaceable  intentions,  and  had  never 
broken  the  peace  of  1700,  the  writer  is  perfectly  satisfied 
that  this  was  a  wanton  massacre  on  the  part  of  the  French, 
to  punish  them  for  not  going  to  Montreal  the  previous  year, 
and  taking  up  the  tomahawk  against  the  English. 

Nothing  appears  in  the  English  documents  that  the  Foxes 
or  Mascotens  were  in  alliance  with  the  English ;  but  in 
1710  the  Governor  of  New  York  told  the  Iroquois,  "the 
only  way  to  strengthen  you  and  us,  and  to  weaken  ye  enemy, 
is  to  have  as  many  (of  the  "  Far  nations  ")  brought  into  the 
covenant  chain  as  possible." 

The  treaty  of  peace  concluded  at  Utrecht,  April  11,  1713, 
may  have  closed  the  series  of  universal  wars  for  the  bal- 
ance of  power  in  Europe,  but  it  did  not  equalize  the  wrongs 
of  their  allies  in  America.  The  Foxes  and  Mascotens  soon 
reestablished  their  alliance  with  all  the  tribes  along  the  Fox 
and  Wisconsin  rivers,  closed  the  French  path  to  the  Sioux 
by  the  Wisconsin  river,  and  in  1719  the  war  raged  fearfully 
against  both  the  Illinois  Indians  on  the  south,  and  the  Chip- 
peways  on  the  north. 

In  1714  the  French  fitted  out  an  expedition  of  eight 
hundred  French  and  Indians,  all  pledged  to  exterminate 
every  Fox  Indian  in  Canada,  according  to  Charlevoix,  (torn, 
iv.,  p.  155,)  which  attacked  the  Fox  fort  on  the  Fox  river; 
but  after  carrying  on  the  siege  for  several  days,  evidently 
with  considerable  loss,  the  French  abated  the  extermina- 
tion, made  a  peace  with  the  Foxes,  and  returned  home. 

But  the  French  again  resorted  to  diplomacy,  and  June 
7th,  1726,  M.  de  Ligiiery,  the  commandant  at  Mackinaw, 
concluded  a  treaty  of  peace  at  Green  Bay,  with  the  Sacs, 


64  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

Foxes,  and  Winnebagoes,  while  some  of  the  war  parties  of 
those  tribes  were  still  on  the  war  path  against  the  Illinois  and 
Chippeways.  That  fact  may  have  made  the  treaty  irreg- 
ular; but  the  following  year  the  French  secretly  resolved 
to  exterminate  the  Foxes  at  all  hazards.  They  made  peace 
with  the  Sioux,  and  in  the  fall  of  1727  established  a  fort  on 
Lake  Pepin,  under  the  command  of  Sieur  de  Lapperriere, 
with  the  Rev.  Father  Guignas  as  Jesuit  missionary.  The 
Foxes  so  far  gave  effect  to  the  treaty  of  peace,  that  they  did 
not  disturb  the  small  force  when  on  their  way  to  establish 
that  fort.  The  Governor  of  Canada  also  sent  a  circular  in 
1727  to  the  commandants  of  all  the  French  forts  in  the 
western  country,  "  to  make  all  necessary  preparations  for 
the  expedition ;"  and  said,  "  it  is  of  the  highest  consequence 
that  the  Foxes  should  not  be  informed  of  this  design." 

The  expedition  left  Canada  early  in  the  spring  of  1728, 
nearly  1,000  strong,  and  were  joined  by  the  western  forces 
and  Indian  allies  at  Green  Bay ;  but  they  signally  failed, 
either  in  surprising  or  exterminating  the  Foxes  or  their 
allies.  The  good  Father  Guignas  abandoned  his  Sioux 
mission,  and  fled  towards  the  Illinois,  but  was  captured  by 
the  Mascotens  and  Kickapoos,  in  October  of  the  same  year, 
remained  a  prisoner  five  months,  and  was  condemned  to  be 
burned  at  the  stake,  but  was  saved  by  an  old  Indian's 
adopting  him  into  his  family.  The  French  say  but  little  of 
the  misfortune  of  this  expedition,  got  up  in  secret,  in  viola- 
tion of  their  treaty  of  1726,  but  it  was  evidently  a  disas- 
trous affair. 

The  French  then  changed  their  tactics,  and  thought  to 
cut  them  off  by  parties  of  the  Iroquois ;  and  we  find,  in 
1732,  the  Governor  of  Canada  asking  his  king  for  medals  to 
bestow  upon  Indian  chiefs,  to  redeem  his  promise.  Said 
the  governor :  "  The  adventure  of  our  Iroquois  and  Hurons 
against  the  Foxes,  places  me  under  the  obligation  of  giving 
a  few  to  the  principal  chiefs  of  the  expedition." 

This  process  proved  too  slow,  and  a  new  military  expedi- 


THE  INDIAN  TRIBES,  ETC.  65 

tion  was  gotten  up,  and  a  battle  fought,  in  1734,  when  the 
King  of  France  writes  to  the  governor,  in  1735,  that  he 
had  "  learned  with  pleasure  that  Captain  Desnoyelle's  expe- 
dition against  the  Foxes  and  Sacs  has  not  been  attended  by 
any  bad  consequences."  The  Foxes  were,  however,  not 
yet  subdued,  and  in  1741  the  Governor  of  Canada  again 
writes,  "  that  he  learns  that  some  under-ground  belts  were 
sent  by  the  English  to  diverse  Indian  nations,  inviting  them 
to  rid  themselves  of  the  French ;"  that  "  the  Foxes  had  sent 
out  some  war  parties  against  the  Illinois,  whereby  several 
Frenchmen  have  been  killed ;"  "  that  some  brilliant  action 
would  be  necessary,  in  order  to  keep  the  nations  in  check ;" 
and  that  "  this  project"  must  be  "  kept  a  secret ;"  that  he 
had  "  nothing  so  much  at  heart  as  the  destruction  of  that 
Indian  nation,  (Foxes,)  and  that  they  had  "  a  secret  under- 
standing with  the  Iroquois  to  secure  a  retreat  among  the 
latter,  in  case  they  were  obliged  to  abandon  their  villages," 
and  a  similar  one  with  "  the  Sioux  of  the  Prairies,  with  whom 
they  are  allied."  Still  further  to  circumvent  the  Foxes, 
Sieur  de  Lusignan,  Commandant  of  the  French,  spent  the 
winter  of  1745-6  with  the  Sioux,  to  effect  a  peace  between 
them  and  the  Winnebagoes,  Menomonies,  and  Chippeways, 
with  whom  they  had  been  at  war  for  a  long  time. 

But  the  misfortunes  of  the  French  with  their  Indian 
allies  in  1747,  culminated  in  a  general  conspiracy,  as  the 
governor  wrote  in  November,  "  fomented  by  the  English, 
who,  by  force  of  presents  and  lies,  excite  the  Indians  against 
us,"  and  among  other  overt  acts,  he  says :  "  The  Sauteurs 
(Chippeways)  have  defeated  one  French  canoe  and  plun- 
dered the  goods,"  and  that  "  the  Foxes  at  the  Bay,  the  Sioux 
and  the  Sacs  —  in  a  word,  all  the  nations,  so  to  speak  — 
have  struck  whenever  an  opportunity  presented." 

These  difficulties  had  occurred  after  Captain  de  la  Corne 

St.  Luc,  the  commandant  at  Mackinaw,  had  mustered  all 

the   north-western   Indians   possible,    and   taken   them   to 

Canada  to  fight  against  the  English.     His  first  attack  with 

5 


6(5  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

these  allies  was  on  Fort  Clinton,  where  he  took  some 
English  scalps.  This  general  conspiracy  was  soon  arranged, 
but  it  still  had  the  effect  to  bring  back  the  most  of  these 
allies  who  had  gone  east. 

Captain  de  Vercheres,  the  commandant  at  Green  Bay,  did 
not  leave  Mackinaw  for  the  Bay,  for  fear  of  the  Bay  Indians, 
until  the  first  of  October,  1*747,  and  about  the  middle  of  the 
same  month  wrote  to  Mackinaw  that  "  he  had  not  been  able 
to  speak  to  the  Indians,  who  were,  when  he  arrived,  all  gone 
to  their  winter  quarters  without  having  given  any  token  of 
repentance  for  the  outrages  they  had  perpetrated.  It  is 
hence  to  be  presumed,"  he  said,  "  that  they  persist  in  their 
evil  dispositions." 

The  spring  and  summer  of  1748  was  mainly  devoted  to 
various  "  talks  "  and  negotiations  with  the  different  tribes 
in  the  north-west,  with  no  definite  results,  until  the  3rd  of 
August,  when  the  news  of  the  treaty  of  peace  between 
England  and  France  having  reached  Canada,  the  governor, 
by  his  proclamation,  "  orders  all  the  nations  to  be  notified 
not  to  go  to  New  England  on  any  more  war  parties ;  that 
they  will  not  be  paid  in  future  for  prisoners  or  scalps."  The 
Indians  naturally  resolved  themselves  into  quietness  when 
the  whites  no  longer  needed  their  services,  and  consequently 
lopped  off  their  usual  bribes  and  excitements  to  war. 

Hon.  Morgan  L.  Martin,  in  his  address  before  the  State 
Historical  Society  of  Wisconsin,  in  1851,  speaking  from  the 
traditions  extant  at  Green  Bay  among  the  half-breed  popu- 
lation, said  that  in  1746  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  were  defeated 
by  Captain  Morand,  "  and  finally  driven  beyond  the  Missis- 
sippi." Mr.  Grignon,  in  his  "  Recollections,"  published  by 
the  State  Historical  Society,  speaks  of  the  tradition,  and 
thought  that  the  occurrence  was  in  1745,  and  that  his  grand- 
father probably  was  in  the  expedition. 

Captain  John  Carver,  in  1766  spoke  of  the  tradition,  and 
fixed  the  time  at  sixty  years  previous,  which  would  have 
made  it  in  1706. 


THE  INDIAN  TRIBES,  ETC.  67 

From  the  narrative  which  is  here  given,  and  which  has 
mainly  been  compiled  from  official  French  documents,  it 
will  be  observed  that  each  of  the  traditions  are  equally  im- 
probable, as  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  were  still  powerful,  and 
inhabiting  the  Wisconsin  valley  in  1712,  1728,  1748,  and 
1754. 

The  exploits  of  Captain  Morand  are  believed  to  be  no 
where  alluded  to  in  any  of  the  public  documents,  and  he 
was  probably  the  mythical  hero,  or  Robin  Hood,  over  which 
the  French  fathers  beguiled  their  dusky  half-breed  children 
at  the  old  trading-posts  of  La  Bay  de  Puans. 

The  important  wars  between  the  colonies  and  their  allies 
so  absorbed  the  attention  of  the  Indians  of  the  Upper  Mis- 
sissippi, that  they  do  not  appear  to  have  done  much  damage 
for  several  years,  and  in  1754  the  French  commandant  at 
Green  Bay,  Sieur  Marin,  succeeded  in  effecting  a  treaty  of 
peace  between  the  Sacs,  Foxes,  Winnebagoes,  and  other 
tribes  of  the  Bay  Indians,  and  their  enemies,  the  Chippe- 
ways,  Christinaux,  and  French. 

This  peace  was  of  great  advantage  to  the  French,  as  it 
enabled  them,  the  following  years,  on  the  breaking  out  of 
the  French  and  Indian  war,  to  muster  over  six  hundred  of 
the  north-western  Indians,  and  march  them  to  Fort  Du- 
quesne,  where  they  assisted  the  French  in  the  defeat  of  the 
army  under  General  Braddock. 


CHAPTER  III. 


THE     INDIAN    TEIBES,    FROM     1755    TO     THE    CLOSE    OF    THE 
PONTIAC    WAR,    IN    1763. 

THE  impending  struggle  between  the  French  and  British 
nations,  which  was  to  settle  the  question  of  the  extent  of 
their  colonial  possessions  in  America,  induced  the  former  to 
change  their  system  of  keeping  the  various  Indian  tribes 
embroiled  in  wars  among  themselves,  to  the  great  scandal 
of  civilized  humanity.  Hence,  the  French  Government  in- 
structed M.  Duquesne,  the  Governor  of  Canada,  as  early  as 
April,  1752,  that  "  'Tis  considered  proper  to  direct  M.  Du- 
quesne to  lay  down  henceforward  in  Canada,  a  different 
system  from  that  always  followed  hitherto,  in  regard  to 
wars  among  the  Indians.  With  a  view  to  occupy  and 
weaken  them,  the  principle  has  been  to  excite  and  foment 
these  sorts  of  wars.  That  was  of  advantage  in  the  infancy 
of  the  settlement  of  Canada.  But  in  the  condition  to  which 
these  nations  are  now  reduced,  and  in  their  present  disposi- 
tions generally,  it  is  in  every  respect  more  useful  that  the 
French  perform  between  them  the  part  of  protectors  and 
pacificators.  They  will,  thereby,  entertain  more  considera- 
tion and  attachment  for  us ;  the  colony  will  be  more  tranquil 
in  consequence,  and  we  shall  save  considerable  expense. 
Cases,  however,  may  occur  in  which  it  will  be  proper  to  ex- 
cite war  against  certain  nations  attached  to  the  English ; 
but  even  such  cases  call  for  two  observations :  one,  to 
endeavor  first  to  gain  over  these  same  nations,  by  recon- 


69 

oiling  them  with  ours ;  and  the  other,  to  be  as  sure  as  pos- 
sible that  our  Indians  will  not  suffer  too  much  from  these 
wars." 

This  new  system,  however,  was  evidently  to  be  pursued 
as  intimated,  only  when  the  French  could  not  avail  them- 
selves of  the  Indians'  services ;  hence,  M.  Duquesne  reported 
to  his  Government,  in  October,  1754,  that  "the  Poutwa- 
tomies,  Kickapoux,  Maskoutins,  and  Sioux  of  the  Prairies, 
have  assembled  together,  to  go  and  destroy  the  Peorias, 
who,  for  a  long  time  have  regarded  with  insolence  the  other 
Indians ;  they  are,  moreover,  people  of  no  faith,  who  steal 
with  impunity,  even  in  their  neighbors'  cabins.  This  war, 
in  which  I  am  not  at  all  interested,  can  be  productive  only 
of  a  good  effect  in  putting  down  such  banditti.  I  have, 
nevertheless,  ordered  the  commandant  to  adjust  all  matters 
after  these  rascals  will  have  received  a  sharp  lesson." 

The  impending  crisis  seems  to  have  been  well  understood 
by  both  governments,  and  as  early  as  the  summer  of  1753, 
the  French  opened  the  campaign,  by  sending  Sieur  Marin, 
with  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  soldiers  and  some  Indians, 
to  take  formal  possession  of  the  Ohio  valley,  who  erected  a 
fort  at  "  River  au  Boeuf"  at  the  present  site  of  Waterford, 
Erie  county,  Pennsylvania. 

In  October  following,  Major  George  Washington  was 
dispatched  by  Governor  Dinwiddie,  of  Virginia,  to  the 
commandant  at  the  French  fort,  remonstrating  against  the 
French  occupying  the  Ohio  valley.  The  English,  about  the 
same  time,  commenced  the  erection  of  a  fort  at  the  present 
site  of  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania,  but  were  soon  dispossessed 
by  the  French,  who  proceeded  with  the  work,  and  erected 
Fort  Duquesne. 

In  April,  1754,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Washington  was  dis- 
patched by  the  Governor  of  Virginia,  with  a  force  of  about 
400  troops,  to  drive  out  the  French  from  the  valley ;  but  in 
the  mean  time,  the  French,  having  been  reinforced,  attacked 


70  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

Colonel  Washington  at  Fort  Necessity,  July  3,  1754,  and 
forced  him  to  surrender  his  troops. 

Thus  we  find  that  the  question  of  the  right  to  the  posses- 
sion of  the  great  valley  of  the  Mississippi,  at  this  early  day, 
involved  two  continents  in  a  murderous,  destructive  war, 
which  continued  over  eight  years,  bringing  untold  sufferings 
upon  both  the  white  and  the  red  men  of  the  new  world. 
The  British  government  dispatched  two  regiments  to  Vir- 
ginia from  some  Irish  port,  as  early  as  January  13,  1755, 
under  the  command  of  General  Braddock;  and  in  April 
following,  the  French  sent  a  fleet  of  six  battalions  of  regu- 
lars, of  about  3,000  men,  under  the  command  of  Baron  de 
Dieskaw,  as  major-general. 

In  February,  the  Shawnees,  of  Ohio  valley,  were  excited 
to  commence  war  against  the  English  settlements,  and  took 
seventeen  scalps  and  ten  prisoners,  and  M.  Duquesne  sent  a 
detachment  of  troops  on  the  ice  from  Montreal  to  support 
the  Indians.  With  no  declaration  of  war  between  the  home 
governments,  but  under  the  strongest  protestations  of  peace, 
both  nations  hastened  to  send  large  armies  across  the 
Atlantic,  while  the  recruiting  drums  rattled  in  every  colo- 
nial village,  and  the  war-whoop  was  heard  in  every  savage 
tribe  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Rocky  mountains,  and  from 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico  to  the  frozen  regions  of  the  north. 

The  popular  Sicur  Marin,  who  commanded  the  French 
expedition  to  the  Ohio  in  1753,  returned  to  Canada  late  in 
the  fall  of  the  same  year,  and  in  the  following  spring  was 
assigned  to  the  command  of  the  post  at  Green  Bay,  where 
he  effected  a  peace  between  the  Sacs,  Foxes  and  other  Bay 
Indians,  and  the  Christinaux  of  Lake  Superior,  thus  recon- 
ciling the  troublesome  Foxes,  with  whom  the  French  had 
been  at  war  for  nearly  forty  years,  and  brought  the  united 
Indian  force  of  the  north-west  into  the  league  against  the 
English. 

As  the  campaign  of  1755  opened  on  the  Ohio,  all  the  popu- 
lar Indian  leaders  of  the  north-west  called  Indian  councils, 


THE  INDIAN  TRIBES,  ETC.  71 

distributed  war  belts,  ammunition,  arms,  blankets  and  other 
presents,  with  a  good  supply  of  brandy,  and  rallied  the 
dusky  warriors  for  the  murderous  conflicts  which  ensued. 
The  prominent  Indian  traders,  believing  that  the  exclusive 
possession  of  the  Mississippi  valley  by  the  French  was 
absolutely  necessary  to  preserve  to  them  their  monopoly  of 
Indian  trade,  seconded  the  efforts  of  the  French  officers,  and 
in  a  few  days  long  files  of  warriors,  under  their  bravest 
chiefs,  were  on  their  way  for  the  defense  of  Fort  Duquesne, 
at  Pittsburgh.  Charles  Langlade,  a  half-breed  trader  of 
Green  Bay,  De  Carry,  a  French  trader  among  the  Winne- 
bagoes,  and  father  of  a  line  of  Winnebago  chiefs,  of  whom 
one-eyed  De  Carry  was  grandson,  and  others  too  numerous 
to  mention,  trading  among  other  tribes,  joined  the  winding 
files  as  leaders  and  interpreters,  and  were  often  the  most 
savage  of  their  savage  companions  in  arms.  These  bands 
were  joined  on  the  route  by  small  parties  of  warriors  from 
most  of  the  tribes  of  the  Ohio  valley,  and  a  considerable 
force  soon  congregated  at  Fort  Duquesne  for  the  defense  of 
that  post. 

General  Braddock,  with  nearly  1,200  regular  veteran 
soldiers  from  Great  Britain,  and  some  provincials  from 
Virginia,  under  Colonel  Washington,  who  had  cut  his  way, 
at  great  labor,  over  the  mountains  of  Virginia  and  Pennsyl- 
vania, was  met  within  four  leagues  of  Fort  Duquesne,  on 
the  9th  day  of  July,  1755,  by  an  advance  party  of  skir- 
mishers, consisting  of  72  French  regulars,  146  Canadians, 
and  637  north-western  Indians,  all  under  the  command  of 
Captain  de  Beaujou;  and  after  a  severe  battle  of  nearly 
four  hours,  General  Braddock's  army  was  routed  with  great 
slaughter,  and  put  to  flight.  This  action  cost  the  English 
nearly  600  men  dead  on  the  field,  according  to  the  French 
account,  besides  wounded;  fifteen  brass  field-pieces  and 
mortars,  and  their  entire  ammunition  and  camp  equipage. 
General  Braddock  was  mortally  wounded,  and  a  large  pro- 
portion of  his  officers  killed.  Captain  de  Beaujou,  the  French 


72  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

commandant,  was  killed  at  the  first  fire,  but  the  losses  of 
the  French  and  Indians  were  claimed  to  be  less  than  100. 

This  decisive  action  for  a  time  left  the  Ohio  valley  in  the 
peaceable  possession  of  the  French,  and  their  allies  of  the 
north-west.  Baron  de  Dieskaw  was  quite  as  unfortunate  in 
his  campaign  against  Fort  Lake  George  as  his  English 
cotemporary  had  been  in  Pennsylvania.  The  Baron  left 
Montreal  with  720  French  regulars,  1,500  Canadians,  and 
760  Indians  of  the  Huron,  Iroquois,  Abenakis,  and  Nepiss- 
ing  tribes.  He  passed  along  Lake  Champlain,  and  with  a 
large  part  of  his  regulars  and  Canadians,  and  all  his  Indian 
allies,  on  the  8th  of  September,  1755,  attacked  the  advance 
of  about  1,000  provincials  and  Indians,  under  Colonel 
Williams  and  the  Mohawk  Chief  Hendricks,  which  he  drove 
in  with  the  loss  of  those  two  leaders  and  many  of  the  men, 
and  then  assaulted  the  camp  at  Fort  Lake  George,  com- 
manded by  General  William  Johnson.  In  this  assault  he 
was  himself  mortally  wounded  and  taken  prisoner,  Captain 
St.  Peter,  who  commanded  the  Indians,  killed,  his  forces 
utterly  defeated  and  routed,  and  pursued  for  some  distance 
with  great  slaughter.  General  Johnson  had  about  250 
Indians  of  the  six  nations  in  his  command,  but  the  most  of 
those  tribes  either  remained  neutral  or  had  joined  the 
French.  Baron  de  Dieskaw  charged  the  loss  of  the  battle 
"  to  the  treachery  of  the  Iroquois,"  and  that  "  as  the 
Iroquois  perceived  some  Mohawks,  they  came  to  a  dead 
halt ;"  but  this  statement  was  not  corroborated  in  Governor 
Vaudreuil's  dispatch,  who,  on  the  contrary,  stated  that  the 
Indians  charged  up  to  the  English  barricades,  led  on  by  the 
Rev.  Father  Andran,  the  Jesuit  missionary  of  the  Abenakis. 

After  the  defeat  of  General  Braddock,  the  north-western 
Indians  returned  home,  and  the  Governor  of  Canada  ordered 
the  commandants  at  Detroit  and  Mackinaw  to  send  down  a 
body  to  assist  in  the  defence  of  Niagara  as  early  as  Septem- 
ber of  the  same  year ;  but  those  commandants  reported  that 


THE  INDIAN  TRIBES,  ETC.  73 

the  Indians  "  were  so  fatigued  after  their  campaign  at  Fort 
Duquesne,  that  they  were  unable  to  go." 

The  tierce  battles  which  ended  by  the  total  defeat  of  the 
armies  of  Generals  Braddock  and  Dieskaw,  had  so  far 
brought  to  light  the  intrigues  and  hypocrisy  of  the  courts 
of  the  two  nations,  that  further  secrecy  was  of  no  import- 
ance; and,  December  21st,  1755,  the  French  foreign  minis- 
ter publicly  demanded  "  reparation  for  insults  to  the  French 
flag,"  to  which  the  British  minister  replied,  January  13, 
1756,  that  it  could  not  be  accorded  while  the  "French 
armed  posts  to  the  north-west  of  the  Alleghanies  existed." 

After  the  war  had  been  carried  on  nearly  two  years,  it 
was  formally  proclaimed  by  England,  May  17th,  1756,  and 
by  France,  June  16th  following;  but  little  had  been  accom- 
plished, however,  between  the  contending  armies.  During 
this  year,  crimination  between  the  English  and  colonial 
officers  run  high.  General  Shirley  was  made  coinmander- 
in-chief  by  the  crown,  but  the  colonists  early  refused  to 
volunteer  under  him,  and  demanded  General  Winslow. 

Colonel  Washington,  as  early  as  February,  visited  Gen- 
eral Shirley  at  Boston,  to  settle  the  rank  between  himself 
and  Captain  Dagworthy,  holding  a  king's  commission.  In 
the  mean  time,  the  Indian  forces  were  called  in  from  the 
north-west  by  the  French  officials,  and  overran  all  the 
western  parts  of  Pennsylvania,  Maryland,  Virginia,  Caro- 
lina, and  Georgia ;  and  the  French  claimed  that  over 
3,000  prisoners,  men,  women,  and  children,  were  captured 
and  carried  into  the  Ohio  valley.  Colonel  Washington, 
with  a  regiment  of  Rangers,  whom  the  French  claimed 
were  dressed  and  painted  like  Indians,  acted  on  the  defen- 
sive, but  could  not  defend  so  extensive  a  frontier.  The 
French  had  in  their  service  this  season,  seven  hundred  Dela- 
wares  and  Shawnees,  two  hundred  and  fifty  Miamies,  and 
three  hundred  Indians  from  Detroit ;  also,  seven  hundred 
from  Mackinaw,  under  the  command  of  De  Repentigny, 
Langlade,  and  Herbert,  junior.  They  also  had  many  from 


74  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

Illinois  and  from  Canada;  —  in  all  amounting  to  3,250,  as 
appeared  by  a  French  dispatch. 

M.  Marin,  the  commandant  at  Green  Bay,  with  sixty 
Indians  from  his  post,  with  De  Villiers,  the  commandant 
from  New  Orleans,  with  four  hundred  French  and  Indians, 
on  the  2nd  July,  1756,  attacked  a  large  convoy  of  supplies 
for  Oswego ;  and  he  claimed  to  have  destroyed  five  hundred 
bateaux,  and  killed  four  hundred  and  fifty  English.  Lieu- 
tenant De  Villiers,  the  2nd  of  August  following,  with  a 
detachment  of  fifty-five  French  and  Illinois  Indians,  cap- 
tured and  burnt  Fort  Granville,  within  sixty  miles  of  Phila- 
delphia. Lieutenant  Marin,  with  his  Wisconsin  Indians, 
went  to  Lake  George,  and  with  a  party  of  one  hundred, 
captured  fifty-two  English  near  that  lake,  some  time  in 
September.  During  the  following  winter,  several  scalping 
expeditions  were  sent  against  the  English,  but  there  were 
probably  no  north-western  Indians  among  them,  as  they 
returned  home  in  the  fall. 

The  winter  of  1756-7,  in  the  north-west,  was  spent  in 
recruiting  Indians  for  the  French  army;  and  in  June,  1757, 
1,000  reached  Montreal,  ready  for  new  scenes  of  fight  and 
plunder.  General  Monte  aim  planned  the  attack  on  Fort 
William  Henry,  at  Lake  George,  and  moved  in  that  direc- 
tion. Lieutenant  Marin,  in  charge  of  about  two  hundred 
Wisconsin  Indians  and  Canadians,  while  on  a  scout  in  July, 
boldly  attacked  Fort  Edward,  and  then  retreated  with  one 
prisoner  and  thirty-two  scalps. 

General  Montcalm,  in  his  dispatch,  complimented  these 
Indians,  by  saying,  "  they  generally  have  all  behaved  well." 
The  general  labored  hard  to  gain  the  confidence  of  his 
Indian  allies,  having,  as  he  said,  "  chanted  the  war  songs'" 
with  them,  given  "  feasts,"  and  held  "  councils ;"  and  was 
"  obliged  to  pass"  his  "  time  with  them  in.  .ceremonies  as 
tiresome  as  they  were  necessary."  He  dare  not  mention  to 
them  the  attempt  to  assassinate  the  king,  for  fear  that 
"  these  barbarians,  so  ferocious  in  war,  so  humane  iu  their 


THE  INDIAN  TRIBES,  ETC. 


75 


lodges,  might  waver  in  their  esteem  for  us,  seeing  us  capable 
of  producing  such  monsters." 

He  was  obliged  to  submit  all  his  plans  of  the  campaign 
to  the  general  councils,  "  for,"  said  he,  "  these  independent 
people,  whose  assistance  is  purely  voluntary,  require  to  b*e 
consulted ;  every  thing  must  be  communicated  to  them,  and 
their  opinions  and  caprices  are  oftentimes  a  law  for  us." 
But  the  greatest  difficulty  with  all  the  white  commandants 
was  to  keep  the  Indians  from  returning  home  after  one 
battle,  or  even  a  skirmish  in  which  a  few  scalps  had  been 
taken,  for  the  reason,  as  wrote  the  general,  that  "  these 
people  scruple  to  incur  again  the  risk  of  war  after  one  suc- 
cess, pretending  that  such  would  be  tempting  the  "Master  of 
Life,  and  bring  down  on  them  bad  luck."  After  speaking 
of  the  praying  Indians  before  the  battle,  he  remarked : 
"  But  this  pious  exercise  was  not  for  the  upper  country 
nations,  whose  superstitions  and  excessively  restless  minds 
were  juggling,  dreaming,  and  fancying  that  every  delay 
portended  misfortune.  On  marching,  these  nations  left 
suspended  a  complete  equipment,  as  a  sacrifice  to  the 
Manitou,  to  render  him  propitious." 

Attached  to  the  French  army  at  the  capture  of  Fort 
William  Henry  were  1,806  Indians,  of  which  820  were 
the  "  domiciliated"  or  Christian  Indians  of  Canada,  and  the 
following  from  the  north-west : 


Ottawas, 

Chippeways, 

Potowatomies, 

Menomonies, 

Miamies, 

Winnebagoes, 

lowas,     . 

Foxes,     . 

Onillas, 

Sacs, 

Loups,    . 

Total, 


C  Commanded  byDe  Langlade,  Florement, 
340  <      and  Herbin,  with  Abbe  Mealavet,  mis- 
(      sionary. 

r~o  (  La  Plant  and  De  Lorimer;  Chesne,  in- 
129 )      terpreter. 

15 

48    De  Tailly,  interpreter. 

10 

20     Marin  and  Langus. 

10     Reaume,  interpreter. 


76  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

All  of  the  Indian  allies  were  placed  under  the  command 
of  M.  de  St.  Z/ucy  an  old  commandant  at  Mackinaw  and  in 
the  north-west  previous  to  1748,  who  had  often  led  the 
Indians  against  the  English. 

•  Thus  it  is  apparent  that  these  Indians  required  all  the 
tricks  and  appliances  of  civilization  to  induce  them  to 
engage  in  war  against  the  English ;  and  while  they  have 
done  no  worse  than  they  were  hired  to  do,  they  have  a 
counterpart  in  the  Hessians  of  Germany,  who  fought  as 
hirelings  for  the  English  in  our  American  revolution. 

Fort  William  Henry  was  attacked  by  General  Montcalm, 
and  surrendered  August  9th,  1757,  and  the  English  soldiers 
paroled  and  sent  to  Fort  Edward,  under  an  escort,  but  were 
attacked  on  the  way  and  plundered  by  the  Indians,  to  the 
eternal  disgrace  of  the  French  and  their  Indian  allies ; 
although  many  of  the  French  officers,  including  General 
Montcalm,  to  their  credit,  risked  their  own  lives  in  defence 
of  the  English  soldiers. 

While  this  affair  has  been  termed  by  the  English  a  mas- 
sacre, but  few  of  the  English  were  killed.  Nearly  four 
hundi'ed  were  taken  as  prisoners;  but  the  most  of  them 
were  immediately  released  by  General  Montcalm,  and  the 
balance,  after  their  return  to  Montreal:  This  unfortunate 
affair,  however,  was  not  charged  against  the  north-western 
Indians ;  but  General  Montcalm  expressly  says,  in  his  dis- 
patch, that  it  was  commenced  by  the  Abenakis,  a  "  domi- 
ciliated"  tribe  of  Canada,  "  who  pretended  to  have  experi- 
enced some  ill  treatment  at  the  hands  of  the  English." 
They  were  probably  retaliating  for  the  New  England  mas- 
sacre of  their  own  tribe  at  Norridgewock,  in  1724,  when 
the  Rev.  Father  Rale,  the  aged  Jesuit  missionary,  was 
mercilessly  shot  down  while  clinging  to  his  mission  cross, 
his  church  burned,  and  his  Dictionary  of  the  Abenakis 
language  carried  off  and  deposited  in  the  Harvard  college, 
where  it  still  remains.  Even  as  late  as  1754,  it  appears  by 
a  letter  of  that  date,  from  M.  Duquesne,  that  the  Abenakis 


THE  INDIAN  TRIBES,  ETC.  77 

were  desiring  to  revenge  the  death  of  two  of  their  chiefs, 
killed  two  years  previous,  near  Boston. 

The  lowas,  a  kindred  tribe  to  the  Winnebagoes,  appear 
to  have  sent  ten  warriors  this  year  to  assist  the  French; 
but  the  Sioux,  probably  on  account  of  their  wars  with  the 
Chippeways,  never  joined  the  French  during  the  war. 

During  the  winter  of  1757-8,  several  expeditions  were 
made  against  the  English  by  small  parties  of  French  and 
Indians ;  one  of  which  burnt  a  village  on  the  German  Flats, 
and  took  one  hundred  and  fifty  prisoners ;  another  defeated 
Major  Rogers,  and  carried  off  one  hundred  and  forty-six 
scalps  and  a  few  prisoners ;  but  the  Indians  which  accom- 
panied these  marauding  parties  were  the  Iroquois,  and  other 
domiciliated  Indians  of  Canada,  the  north-western  Indians 
having  returned  home  in  the  fall ;  and,  unfortunately,  many 
of  them  on  their  way  thither  died  with  the  small-pox,  which 
generally  proves  fatal  to  them  under  their  system  of  medi- 
cine. Many  also  died  during  the  winter  of  the  same  disease, 
at  Mackinaw  and  some  other  places.  A  difficulty  also 
occurred  at  Green  Bay,  and  a  party  of  Menomonies  killed 
eleven  Canadians,  burned  the  store-house,  but  missed  the 
commandant,  who  was  probably  M.  Marin. 

But  few  of  the  north-western  Indians  went  to  Canada  in 
1758,  and  none  of  them  were  with  General  Montcalni  when 
he  defeated  General  Howe  before  Ticondaroga,  July  8th ; 
but  soon  after  that,  the  Indians  were  sent  to  General  Mont- 
calm,  under  M.  De  St.  Luc  and  M.  Marin,  who  did  some 
service  in  capturing  an  English  convoy  near  Fort  Edward, 
containing  fifty-four  wagons,  on  the  30th  of  the  same  month. 
M.  Marin,  "  a  colonial  officer  of  great  reputation,"  com- 
manded another  expedition,  which  was  met  by  the  "  par- 
tisan Robert  Rogers,"  and  defeated  with  some  loss ;  or,  to 
use  the  more  classic  French,  "  he  extricated  himself  very 
handsomely"  from  the  English. 

The  probability  that  the  English  would  attack  Niagara 
in  the  spring  of  1759,  induced  the  military  authorities  of 


78  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

Canada  to  make  early  preparations  for  the  defense  of  that 
post.  They  dispatched  orders  early  in  the  fall  of  1758,  to 
the  north-west,  to  bring  down  in  the  spring  all  the  available 
force  of  the  upper  country,  including  the  Illinois  region  and 
the  Ohio  valley,  with  a  rendezvous  at  Presque  Isle,  near  the 
present  site  of  Erie,  Pennsylvania.  M.  Pouchot,  "  an  ex- 
perienced and  intelligent "  officer,  was  ordered  to  repair  to 
the  outlet  of  Lake  Ontario,  on  the  ice,  in  March,  and  with 
cannon  ;  from  thence  to  embark,  at  the  opening  of  naviga- 
tion, for  Fort  Niagara,  in  two  corvettes,  with  two  pickets 
of  regulars. 

M.  De  Montigny,  with  300  Canadians,  and  provisions  in 
thirty  bateaux,  was  to  go  by  the  north  shore  of  Lake 
Ontario  to  Niagara,  at  the  opening  of  navigation,  while  M. 
De  St.  Luc,  with  some  Canadians  and  Indians,  was  to 
reconnoiter  about  Oswego.  He  made  an  attack  on  that 
place,  but  was  driven  off',  and  M.  De  St.  Luc  wounded.  M. 
de  Ligneris,  in  command  at  Fort  Machault,  at  the  junction 
of  the  Alleghany  and  French  creek,  Pennsylvania,  was  or- 
dered to  repair  to  Niagara,  if  necessary  for  its  defense. 

Agreeable  to  the  anticipations  of  the  authorities  of 
Canada,  the  Americans  and  English,  with  2,200  troops  and 
600  Indians,  mostly  Iroquois,  left  Oswego  July  1,  1759,  for 
Niagara,  under  General  Prideaux,  with  Colonel  William 
Johnson,  Indian  agent,  second  in  command,  and  were  soon 
after  joined  by  300  additional  Iroquois  Indians,  and  on  the 
7th  of  the  same  month  laid  siege  to  Fort  Niagara.  Notice 
of  this  anticipated  attack  was  early  sent  to  M.  de  Ligneris, 
the  commandant  at  Presque  Isle,  to  come  with  his  whole 
force  to  the  assistance  of  the  besieged. 

On  the  24th  of  July,  M.  de  Ligneris,  with  his  force  from 
Ohio  river,  M.  Aubry  from  Illinois,  M.  Marin  from  Green 
Bay,  in  charge  of  the  Indians,  and  M.  De  Montigny,  M. 
Repentigny,  commandant  at  Mackinaw,  and  others,  with 
a  combined  force  estimated  by  the  English  at  850  Cana- 
dians, and  350  Indians,  but  by  the  French  at  400  Canadians, 


THE  INDIAN  TRIBES,  ETC.  79 

and  30  Indians,  attacked  an  English  detachment,  partly 
fortified,  on  the  bank  of  the  Niagara  river,  above  the  fort, 
under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Massey,  and  were  totally  defeated, 
with  200  killed,  and  100  taken  prisoners.  The  balance 
escaped  back  to  the  150  Canadians  left  to  guard  the  canoes 
and  bateaux  above  the  Falls,  and  under  M.  Belestre  returned 
to  Detroit  with  their  Indian  allies.  Five  captains  and 
twelve  subaltern  officers,  mostly  wounded,  were  taken  pris- 
oners, among  whom  were  Messrs.  De  Ligneris,  De  Aubry, 
De  Marin,  De  Moutigny,  and  De  Repentigny.  On  the  fol- 
lowing day,  M.  Pouchot,  having  learned  of  the  loss  of  this 
reinforcement,  surrendered  the  fort  to  the  English. 

This  misfortune  to  the  French  was  attributed  by  them  to  the 
fact  that  the  900  Iroquois  Indians  on  the  side  of  the  English, 
induced  the  western  Indians,  nearly  1,000  strong,  not  to 
fight,  but  with  them  to  remain  neutral,  and  when  M.  Marin 
rallied  his  warriors  for  the  fight,  but  thirty  of  the  most 
determined  of  them  followed  him  to  the  attack,  while  only 
about  100  Iroquois  assisted  the  English.  This  defeat,  with 
the  loss  of  Fort  Niagara,  cut  off  from  the  French  of  Canada 
nearly  all  their  western  resources  and  western  allies,  and 
enabled  the  English  to  concentrate  their  entire  force  on 
Quebec  and  Montreal.  This  obliged  the  French  to  evacuate 
Crown  Point  and  fall  back  on  IS  Isle  au  Nolx,  near  the 
outlet  of  Lake -Champlain,  on  the  4th  of  August  following. 

The  fall  of  Quebec,  September  18th,  and  the  surrender  of 
all  Canada  to  the  English  the  following  September,  1760, 
closed  the  French  power  in  Canada,  which  had  continued 
for  one  hundred  and  fifty  years. 

The  English  exercised  no  less  zeal  than  the  French  to 
secure  the  Indians  as  their  allies  during  the  whole  war. 
Early  in  the  spring  of  1755,  General  Braddock  appointed 
Colonel  William  Johnson  as  Indian  agent  for  the  Six  Nations 
in  New  York,  and  gave  him  £2,000,  to  be  expended  mainly 
in  Indian  presents. 

In  June  of  the  same  year,  Colonel  Johnson  called  an 


80  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

Indian  council,  at  which  he  called  the  Great  Spirit  to  wit- 
ness that  the  English  had  no  evil  designs  against  them, 
threw  them  the  war  belt  in  General  Braddock's  name,  began 
the  war-dance,  and  "  ordered  a  large  tub  of  punch  out  to 
drink  the  king's  health."  He  armed,  clothed  and  fitted  out 
every  Indian  who  would  go  to  war  against  the  French.  The 
Indians  complained  of  many  frauds  practiced  on  them  in 
getting  their  lands,  to  which  Colonel  Johnson  replied,  with 
the  present  of  a  belt  of  wampum,  that  "  I  am  convinced 
that  many  frauds  have  been  made  use  of  in  the  purchasing 
of  your  lands,  for  which  I  am  very  sorry,"  and  pledged 
them  redress.  The  Indians  went  to  war,  but  the  redress 
came  not.  The  Indians  of  course  became  cold  and  neutral, 
and  some  joined  the  enemy,  and  the  western  nations  laid 
waste  the  whole  western  frontier. 

Again,  in  September,  1757,  ColonelJohnson  remonstrated 
to  the  lords  of  trade,  "  that  the  Indians  are  disgusted  and 
dissatisfied  with  .the  extensive  purchases  of  land,  and  do 
think  themselves  injured  thereby.  This  is  one  main  cause 
of  their  defection  from  the  British  interest."  In  1758  the 
British  government  awoke  to  the  importance  of  the  ques- 
tion, and  at  the  treaty  at  Easton,  Pennsylvania,  held  by  the 
Governors  of  that  State  and  New  Jersey,  they  agreed  to 
surrender  to  the  Indians  certain  lands,  the  purchase  of 
which  had  caused  so  much  complaint;  and  the  deeds  of 
surrender  were  delivered  to  an  assembly  of  ten  nations  of 
Indians,  being  the  Iroquois  and  some  of  their  allies,  April 
17,  1759.  At  this  time,  ColonelJohnson  remarked  to  theni: 
"  You  see,  while  the  French  keep  their  forts  in  the  midst  of 
your  country,  and  fight  with  us  in  order  to  secure  the  pos- 
session of  them,  we  give  up  those  lands  which  you  had  sold 
us."  This  was  all  very  satisfactory  to  the  Indians,  and  they 
delivered  up  their  prisoners,  and  heartily  engaged  in  the 
war  against  the  French. 

This  amicable  adjustment  of  their  difficulties  gave  Colonel 
Johnson  900  warriors  in  July  at  Fort  Niagara,  who  won  over 


THE  INDIAN  TRIBES,  ETC.  81 

the  western  Indians,  and  thereby  hastened  the  downfall  of 
the  French  power  in  America.  So  important  did  these 
measures  appear  to  the  lords  of  trade,  that  they  reported, 
and  the  king  in  council  confirmed,  November  23,  1761,  the 
following  language  :  "  It  was  happy  for  us  that  we  were 
early  awakened  to  a  proper  sense  of  the  injustice  and  bad 
policy  of  such  conduct  towards  the  Indians ;  and  no  sooner 
were  these  measures  pursued  which  indicated  a  disposition 
to  do  them  possible  justice  upon  this  head  of  complaint,  than 
those  hostilities  which  had  produced  such  horrid  scenes  of 
devastation  ceased,  and  the  Six  Nations  and  their  depend- 
ants became  at  once,  from  the  most  inveterate  enemies,  our 
fast  and  faithful  friends." 

This  war  was  sustained  with  great  zeal  by  the  French 
traders,  and  courrier  de  bois  of  the  north-west,  and  probably 
two-thirds  of  them  perished  in  the  fearful  conflicts  which 
took  place  during  its  existence ;  but,  being  on  the  unfortu- 
nate side,  no  historian  of  that  day  has  preserved  their 
memory,  and  they  are  only  known,  at  this  day,  from  the 
obscure  traditions  of  their  half-breed  descendants.  Some 
were  the  husbands  of  the  daughters  of  Indian  chiefs,  and  were 
fathers  of  illustrious  lines  of  chiefs,  who  are  yet  in  the  pos- 
session of  power  in  their  respective  tribes.  As  an  instance, 
might  be  named  De  Carry,  the  grandfather  of  the  old  Win- 
nebago  chief,  "  One-eyed  De  Carry."  He  married  Ho-po- 
ko-e-kaw,  or  "  the  Glory  of  the  Morning,"  the  daughter  of 
the  principal  chief  of  the  Winnebagoes,  and  had  two  sons ; 
the  oldest,  Choo-ke-kaw,  or  "  the  Ladle,"  was  head  chief  at 
the  Portage,  in  Wisconsin,  1801,  and  signed  the  treaty  of 
peace  with  the  United  States  in  1816 :  the  younger  son  was 
Chah-post-kaw-kaw,  or  "the  Buzzard,"  who  came  with  a 
band  to  La  Crosse,  where  he  was  killed,  previous  to  1800. 
The  latter  was  father  to  Wadge-hutta-kaw,  or  "the  Big 
Canoe,  commonly  called  "  One-eyed  De  Carry "  by  the 
English.  He  died  at  the  Tunnel,  in  "Wisconsin,  August, 
1 864,  very  aged. 
6 


82  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

Wa-kon-ha-1caW)  or  "  Snake  Skin,"  another  chief,  brother 
to  "Big  Canoe,"  was  alive  in  1867.  He  was  orator  of  the 
tribe,  and  known  to  the  English  as  Washington  De  Carry. 
Old  De  Carry  fought  through  the  war,  and  was  wounded 
April  28th,  1760,  before  Quebec,  and  soon  after  died  at 
Montreal.  The  widow  was  chief  of  the  tribe  in  1766,  and 
was  visited  by  Captain  Carver  in  that  year,  her  father 
having  probably  died  in  the  war. 

Equally  unfortunate  were  the  popular  French  colonial 
officers,  who  had  explored  and  developed  so  much  of  the 
north-west,  and  had  wielded  a  controlling  influence  among 
the  red  men  for  many  years.  We  mark  their  fall  in  the 
thickest  of  the  fight,  from  year  to  year,  and  when  the  war 
closed  by  the  surrender  of  Canada,  Lieutenant  Charles  De 
Langlade,  the  half-breed  Ottawa,  almost  alone  survived, 
and  was,  by  the  Governor  of  Canada,  September  3rd,  1760, 
ordered  to  take  charge  of  and  conduct  the  Canadians  under 
his  command  to  Mackinaw,  and  the  Indians  to  their  villages, 
and  forward  two  companies  of  English  deserters  to  Louisi- 
ana. Lieutenant  De  Langlade  was  the  grandfather  of  the 
Grignons  who,  in  the  present  century,  have  occupied  promi- 
nent positions  at  Green  Bay. 

The  rule  of  the  French  in  the  north-west  was  mainly  like 
that  of  the  libertine  over  his  mistress,  — full  of  coquetry  and 
smiles,  and  they  were  generally  called  by  the  endearing 
name  of  "  good  spirits."  The  advent  of  the  French  trader 
to  an  Indian  village  was  a  day  of  rejoicing.  He  smoked 
their  pipe  of  peace,  chanted  their  songs,  joined  in  the  festive 
dance,  gave  feasts  to  the  chiefs,  and  took  to  wife  their 
daughters.  The  Indian  maidens  emulated  each  other  to  be- 
come the  trader's  mistress,  and  be  decorated  with  the  gaudy 
trappings  of  civilization.  The  French  Jesuit  missionaries, 
with  breviary  and  cross,  who  had  then  threaded  every 
forest  and  navigated  every  river  in  the  Mississippi  valley, 
and  had  had  thousands  of  converts  among  the  different 


WA-KON-HA-KAW. 

(WINNEBAGO   CHIEF.) 


THE  INDIAN  TRIBES,  ETC.  85 

tribes,  generally  left  the  country  and  returned  to  Europe  on 
the  fall  of  the  Canadian  government. 

The  change  of  government  could  not  restore  the  dead 
fathers  to  their  thousands  of  weeping  children,  and  their 
sorrowing  mothers  could  only  tell  them  that  their  fathers 
had  been  scalped  by  the  merciless  "  Long-knives."  The 
small-pox,  a  fatal  disease  to  the  Indians,  had  raged  fearfully 
among  many  of  the  tribes.  Trade  for  a  time  was  nearly 
suspended  for  want  of  goods,  and  the  Indian  missed  his 
powder  and  ball,  to  kill  the  game  to  feed  his  family. 

During  the  war,  the  English  had  been  profuse  in  their 
promises  to  the  Indians,  as  an  inducement  to  take  up  the 
tomahawk  against  the  French ;  that  their  lands  should  be 
returned,  and  supplies  furnished  at  a  far  less  rate  than  was 
done  by  the  French ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  wrote  Colonel 
Johnson,  Indian  agent,  in  June,  1761 :  "  Instead  of  restoring 
their  lands,  we  are  erecting  more  forts  in  many  parts  of  the 
country,  and  goods  are  still  so  dear  that  their  warriors  and 
women  are  very  uneasy,  and  apt  to  believe  very  bad  reports 
concerning  the  intentions  of  the  English." 

The  French  of  Louisiana,  who  were  very  anxious  to  turn 
the  channel  of  the  Indian  trade  in  that  direction,  and  had 
continued  to  hold  possession  of  the  Illinois,  industriously 
circulated  among  the  Indians  every  damaging  report  pos- 
sible against  the  English  ;  and  to  give  point  to  the  charge 
of  sinister  motives  of  the  English  in  erecting  forts  in  the 
Ohio  valley,  alleged  that  it  was  the  intention  of  the  English 
to  take  the  Ohio  valley  from  the  Delawares,  Seuecas,  Shaw- 
nees,  Miamies,  and  other  tribes  that  then  inhabited  it,  and 
give  it  to  the  Cherokees,  who  were  friendly  to  the  English, 
but  with  whom  the  Ohio  Indians  were  at  war. 

To  encourage  the  Indians  to  take  up  the  war  hatchet 
against  the  English,  war  belts  were  freely  circulated  by  the 
French  among  the  Indians  during  the  winter  of  1762-3, 
with  a  statement  that  early  in  the  spring  the  King  of  France 
was  coming  with  a  great  army  to  recover  possession  of 


86  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

Canada,  and  inviting  the  Indians  to  anticipate  their  father 
by  capturing  all  the  English  forts  in  the  country.  There  is 
reason  to  believe  that  these  were  not  idle,  gossiping  stories 
of  the  French,  but  that  there  was  a  serious  disposition 
among  many  of  the  Canadians  to  revolt,  and,  with  the 
assistance  of  France,  to  gain  their  former  position.  In  1762 
England  had  refused  to  ratify  a  treaty  of  peace  with  France, 
and  the  latter  nation  had  formed  an  alliance  with  Spain, 
and  many  in  the  colonies  thought  that  France  might,  with 
the  help  of  Spain,  regain  her  Canadian  possessions.  Several 
memorials  were  addressed  to  the  King  of  France  to  that 
effect,  by  prominent  Canadian  officers  in  the  late  war,  but 
fortunately,  perhaps,  for  them,  the  belligerent  nations  finally 
ratified  a  treaty  of  peace,  February  10th,  1763,  by  which 
the  French  ceded  Canada  to  England,  and  Louisiana  to 
Spain,  thereby  terminating  their  possessions  in  North 
America. 

But  the  poor  Indians,  buried  in  the  depths  of  the  primeval 
forests  of  the  great  west,  knew  nothing  of  the  intrigues  of 
the  vacillating  courts  of  Europe.  Intent  on  the  point  of 
serving  the  French,  ridding  themselves  of  their  hateful 
enemies,  and  revenging  the  murders  still  often  perpetrated 
on  them  by  the  licentious  soldiers,  traders,  and  pioneers  on 
the  frontier  settlements,  unwittingly  went  on  perfecting 
their  leagues,  and  finally  commenced  an  attack  on  all  the 
English  forts  in  the  north-west. 

Pontiac,  a  chief  of  a  roving  band  of  the  Ottawas,  then 
near  Detroit,  who  had  distinguished  himself  at  the  defeat 
of  General  Braddock  in  1755,  and  at  several  other  battles 
during  the  French  wars  in  America  from  1746,  became  the 
leading  chief,  and,  assisted  by  the  French,  planned  a  simul- 
taneous surprise  of  the  English  posts.  Mackinaw,  Miami, 
Presque  Isle,  Ouiatenon,  St.  Josephs,  Sandusky,  La  Bceuf 
and  Venango,  were  taken,  and  the  most  of  the  garrisons  tom- 
ahawked. Detroit,  the  most  important  post  in  command  of 
the  English,  was  reserved  by  the  cunning  chief,  on  which 


THE  INDIAN  TRIBES,  ETC.  87 

to  exercise  his  own  prowess  and  stratagem ;  but  failing  to 
keep  to  himself  his  plan  of  surprise,  it  was  disclosed  to 
Major  Gladvvin,  the  commandant  of  the  post,  by  a  friendly 
squaw,  and  by  that  means  saved  from  surprise  and  capture. 
Pontiac  laid  siege  to  the  fort,  but  failed  to  reduce  it.  The 
Indians  also  laid  siege  to  Fort  Ligonier,  Bedford  and  Lou- 
don,  of  Pennsylvania,  and  Cumberland,  of  Maryland,  and 
devastated  the  country  about  Fort  Pitt.  Nearly  all  the 
English  traders  among  the  Indians  were  plundered  and 
massacred,  and  raiding  parties  sent  against  the  frontier  set- 
tlements of  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia,  with  murderous 
effect. 

The  usual  errors  in  dates  have  occurred  among  historians 
relating  to  this  war,  but  Bancroft  has  collected  them  with 
considerable  accuracy,  and  dates  the  commencement  of  the 
siege  of  Detroit,  May  9 ;  the  capture  of  Sandusky,  May  6 ; 
of  St.  Josephs,  by  a  party  of  Potowatomies  from  Detroit, 
May  25  ;  Miami,  May  27  ;  Fort  Ouiatanon,  near  Lafayette, 
Indiana,  June  1 ;  Mackinaw,  June  2 ;  Presque  Isle,  June 
22  ;  and  Le  Boeuf,  June  18. 

Authors  have  generally  enumerated  Green  Bay  among  the 
list,  but  Lieutenant  Gorell,  who  commanded  there  when 
notified  of  the  capture  of  Mackinaw,  voluntarily  abandoned 
that  fort,  and  was  guarded  by  the  tribes  about  the  Bay, 
who  were  friendly  to  the  English,  far  on  his  way  towards 
Montreal,  to  a  place  of  safety. 

It  has  also  been  customary  to  include  the  Sacs  and  Foxes, 
and  other  Indians  of  the  Bay,  as  hostile  to  the  English,  and 
as  having  joined  Pontiac's  confederacy,  but  facts  do  not 
well  sustain  the  allegation ;  on  the  contrary,  they  received 
presents  from  Sir  William  Johnson  for  their  fidelity  to  the 
English.  The  Sioux,  instead  of  joining  Pontiac,  offered  Sir 
William  Johnson  5,000  warriors  to  assist  him  in  destroying 
the  confederates.  Neither  did  the  Illinois  Indians,  nor  the 
Chippeways  of  Lake  Superior,  become  members  of  the 
Pontiac  confederacy.  The  confederacy  might  be  said  to 


88  UPPEB  MISSISSIPPI. 

include  a  few  Ottawas  and  Chippeways  about  Mackinaw, 
and  to  have  extended  to  Lake  Ontario  and  the  Ohio  river, 
including  the  Ottawas,  lower  Chippeways,  Hurons,  Miamies, 
Kickapoos,  Potowatoraies,  Shawnees,  Delawares,  and  the 
Geneseo  band  of  the  Senecas. 

Soon  after  the  war  commenced,  the  Indians  of  Canada 
sent  a  message  to  their  hostile  brethren,  notifying  them  that 
peace  had  been  established  between  France  and  England  ; 
that  the  King  of  England  had  now  become  their  father,  and 
advising  peace.  Sir  William  Johnson  held  a  treaty  with  the 
Six  Nations,  reconciled  the  Senecas,  and  sent  parties  of  the 
Six  Nations  against  the  Delawares,  which  made  some  cap- 
tures, and  broke  up  the  confederacy,  the  Delawares  suing 
for  peace. 

In  the  mean  time,  Le  Neyon  deVilliere,  the  French  com- 
mandant at  Fort  Chartres,  in  Illinois,  sent  belts  and  a  pro- 
clamation, addressed  to  twenty-five  nations,  notifying  them 
that  the  French  had  surrendered  Canada ;  that  peace  was 
established ;  that  the  French  were  retiring  west  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi, and  advising  peace.  This  message  reached  Pontiac 
at  Detroit,  the  last  day  of  October,  1763,  and  the  next 
morning  he  sent  overtures  of  peace  to  Major  Gladwin,  who 
notified  the  chief  that  he  had  no  power  to  conclude  a  peace, 
but  would  refer  it  to  General  Gage.  This  was  satisfactory 
to  the  chief,  and  the  savages  dispersed  to  their  hunting- 
grounds,  and  the  fort  was  relieved  of  its  long  and  painful 
siege. 

General  Gage,  early  in  1764,  dispatched  an  order  to  Major 
Gladwin,  at  Detroit,  that  if  the  western  Indians  were  desir- 
ous of  peace,  to  send  them  to  Niagara,  where  they  would 
be  met  by  Sir  William.  Johnson,  the  Indian  agent,  and  a 
peace  concluded.  Consequently,  over  2,000  Indians  assem- 
bled at  Niagara  by  the  25th  of  August,  1764,  containing 
delegations  from  the  Hurons,  Senecas,  Ottawas,  Chippe- 
ways, Menominies,  Foxes,  Sacs,  Winuebagoes,  and  some 
tribes  from  the  north  of  Lake  Superior.  They  were  met  by 


THE  INDIAN  TRIBES,  ETC.  89 

Sir  William  Johnson,  with  about  600  friendly  Indians,  and 
Colonel  Bradstreet,  with  an  army  designed  for  the  west. 

Treaties  were  formed  with  the  Hurons  and  Senecas,  but 
the  balance  of  the  tribes  brought  certificates  from  Major 
Glad  win  and  others,  that  they  had  not  joined  in  the  war 
against  the  English,  except  some  individuals  who  had  left 
the  tribes  for  that  purpose,  but  had  continued  friendly  to 
the  English.  Colonel  Johnson  reported  that  he  "  admitted 
them  into  the  covenant  chain  of  friendship,  on  their  agree- 
ing to  the  reestablishment  of  Mackinaw,  and  promising  to 
get  all  prisoners  out  of  the  enemy's  hands,  as  also  to  pro- 
cure some  restitution  for  the  traders'  losses ;  all  which  they 
engaged  to  perform." 

Colonel  Johnson  also  reported  that  "  the  Indians  who  did 
not  attend  at  Niagara,  were,  I  believe,  doubtful  of  our 
sincerity,  but  they  now  seem  desirous  to  make  terms  of 
concession,"  etc. ;  and  that  "  Pontiac  is,  with  some  of  the 
most  obstinate,  as  yet  in  the  Miami's  country,  near  the  west 
end  of  Lake  Erie,  but  has  sent  to  desire  peace,  and  I  believe 
is  only  apprehensive  for  his  security  and  that  of  those  with 
him,  otherwise  he  would  have  attended  the  congress." 

Colonel  Bradstreet  left  for  Detroit  with  his  army,  took 
the  responsibility  to  treat  with  some  of  the  Indians,  to  the 
great  disgust  of  Colonel  Johnson ;  and  finally  returned  a 
part  of  his  army  in  the  fall  in  bad  condition.  Colonel  Bou- 
quet, in  command  of  a  small  body  of  forces,  left  Fort  Pitt, 
and  penetrated  the  heart  of  the  Delaware  and  Shawnee 
country ;  obtained  over  two  hundred  prisoners,  and  brought 
back  hostages  that  they  would  go  to  Colonel  -Johnson  and 
conclude  a  treaty.  In  May,  1765,  the  Delaw'ares  visited 
Colonel  Johnson,  and  settled  their  difficulties  by  treaty ; 
and  the  Shawnees  followed  their  example,  July  9th  ensuing. 

May  15,  1765,  Colonel  Croghan  set  out  from  Fort  Pitt 

with  a  party  to  visit  the  Illinois  and  take  the  surrender  of 

the  posts  in  that  region  from  the  French,  but  they  were 

taken  prisoners  on  the  way  by  the  Kickapoos  and  Masco- 

6* 


90  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

tens,  taken  to  Post  Vincent,  and  from  thence  towards  the 
Illinois,  when  Colonel  Croghan  met  Pontiac,  and  returned 
with  him  to  Detroit,  where  he  arrived  with  that  chief, 
August  17th.  Here  peace  was  concluded  with  the  balance 
of  the  hostile  Indians,  to  the  general  satisfaction  of  all 
parties ;  and  Pontiac  declared  that  he  and  the  Indians  had 
been  imposed  upon  by  the  French  for  the  purpose  of  obtain- 
ing the  beaver,  and  called  it  the  "  beaver  war,"  and  sent  his 
pipe  to  Colonel  Johnson. 

Captain  Sterling,  with  a  small  detachment  of  troops,  took 
possession  of  Fort  Chartres  in  the  Illinois,  in  October,  1765, 
without  opposition ;  and  finally,  Pontiac,  in  July  following, 
with  several  south-western  chiefs,  visited  Colonel  Johnson 
at  Oswego,  settled  all  differences,  and  in  his  closing  speech, 
Pontiac  eloquently  remarked :  "  Father,  it  will  take  some 
time  before  I  can  make  known  to  all  the  nations  what  has 
passed  here,  but  I  will  do  it  even  from  the  rising  of  the  sun 
to  the  setting,  and  from  north  to  south." 

Pontiac  was  a  chief  of  more  than  ordinary  ability,  as  well 
as  business  capacity,  and  constantly  kept  two  secretaries, 
one  to  read  his  letters,  and  the  other  to  write.  Colonel 
Croghan,  who  was  with  him  for  some  weeks,  said  of  him 
that  he  "  is  a  shrewd,  sensible  Indian,  of  few  words,  and 
commands  more  respect  among  all  those  nations  than  any 
Indian  I  ever  saw  could  do  amongst  his  own  tribe." 

Some  three  years  after  the  close  of  the  war,  and  in  1767, 
this  able  chief  was  assassinated  in  Illinois  by  a  Peoria 
Indian,  for  a  reward  of  a  barrel  of  rum  from  an  English 
trader,  to  revenge  which  the  Ottawas,  Potowatomies,  and 
some  other  tribes,  are  said  to  have  nearly  annihilated  the 
whole  band  of  Peorias. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  INDIAN  TRIBES,  FROM  1764  TO   THE   CLOSE   OF  THE  WAR 
WITH    GREAT   BRITAIN,   IN    1815. 

THE  desire  of  revenge,  with  the  Indian,  terminates  when 
the  belt  of  peace  is  presented  by  the  adversary  and  accepted, 
and  the  pipe  passed  round  and  individually  smoked  by  the 
dusky  warriors  ;  and  one  who  has  been  the  greatest  enemy, 
may  safely  pass  through  two  lines  of  wigwams,  without 
danger  of  insult  or  injury ;  for  their  religion  holds  that  an 
injury  to  an  enemy  of  whom  they  have  accepted  the  belt 
and  the  pipe,  is  an  insult  to  the  Great  Spirit.  But  such  is 
not  the  case  with  the  white  man  of  the  frontier ;  and  ever 
since  the  first  settlement  of  this  country,  there  have  been 
large  numbers  who  have  believed  that  the  Indians,  as 
heathens,  had  no  rights  which  the  white  men  "  were  bound 
to  respect." 

After  the  conclusion  of  peace  with  the  confederate  tribes 
under  Pontiac,  the  pioneers  committed  some  of  the  most 
barbarous  murders  along  the  frontiers  of  Pennsylvania  and 
Virginia,  and  it  required  many  presents,  and  the  greatest 
efforts  of  those  in  authority,  to  pacify  the  Indians,  and  save 
the  country  from  a  renewal  of  the  war. 

Upon  this  subject,  Colonel  Johnson,  the  British  Indian 
agent,  wrote  to  his  government  as  early  as  June  28,  1766, 
that  the  war  "  was  no  sooner  terminated  at  a  considerable 
loss  and  expense,  than  the  frontier  inhabitants,  from  Virginia 
to  this  province  (New  York)  (though  they  shewed  but  little 


I 

92  UPPEK  MISSISSIPPI. 

alacrity  at  the  time  they  ought),  began,  under  the  specious 
pretense  of  revenge,  but  in  violation  of  the  British  faith,  to 
murder,  rob,  and  otherwise  grossly  misuse  all  Indians  they 
could  find  in  small  parties,  either  on  their  way  to  or  from 
the  southward,  or  trading  amongst  them ;  whilst  those  who 
avoided  imbruing  their  hands  in  blood  added  fuel  to  their 
jealousy  by  encroaching  upon  their  rights,  and  treating  the 
Indians  with  contempt,  much  greater  than  they  had  ever 
before  experienced.  This  has  at  length  thoroughly  con- 
firmed their  opinion  that  we  projected  their  ruin." 

Colonel  Johnson,  who  had  become  well  acquainted  with 
Indian  character,  writes  further,  in  the  same  dispatch : 
"  Our  people  in  general  are  very  ill  calculated  to  maintain 
friendship  with  the  Indians ;  they  despise  those  in  peace, 
whom  they  fear  to  meet  in  war.  This,  with  the  little  arti- 
fices used  in  trade,  and  the  total  want  of  that  address  and 
seeming  kindness  practiced  with  such  success  by  the  French, 
must  always  hurt  the  colonists.  On  the  contrary,  could  they 
but  assume  a  friendship,  and  treat  them  with  civility  and 
candor,  we  should  soon  possess  their  hearts,  and  much  more 
of  their  country  than  we  shall  do  in  a  century  by  the  con- 
duct now  practiced." 

The  encroachments  upon  the  Indian  rights  increased  from 
bad  to  worse,  until  1774,  when  Captain  Cresap,  with  a  party 
near  Wheeling,  Virginia,  murdered  the  whole  family  of 
Captain  John  Logan,  a  friendly  chief  of  the  Cayuga  band 
of  the  Iroquois,  who  rallied  his  warriors  and  retaliated  with 
fearful  vengeance,  until  the  fall  of  the  year,  when  he  was 
defeated  in  a  battle  at  Point  Pleasant,  by  1,500  Virginians, 
and  finally  pacified  by  Lord  Dunmore.  It  was  at  this  treaty 
that  Logan  delivered  the  following  gpeech,  for  which  Presi- 
dent Jefferson  has  immortalized  him,  by  quoting  it  in  his 
"Notes  on  Virginia:" 

"  I  appeal  to  any  white  man  to  say,  if  ever  he  entered 
Logan's  cabin  hungry,  and  he  gave  him  not  meat ;  if  ever  he 
came  cold  and  naked,  and  he  clothed  him  not.  During  the 


THE  INDIAN  TRIBES,  ETC.  93 

course  of  the  last  long  and  bloody  war,  Logan  remained  idle 
in  his  cabin,  an  advocate  of  peace.  Such  was  my  love  for 
the  whites,  that  my  countrymen  pointed  as  they  passed, 
and  said,  '  Logan  is  the  friend  of  white  men.'  I  had  even 
thought  to  have  lived  with  you,  but  for  the  injuries  of  one 
man,  Colonel  Cresap,  the  last  spring,  who  in  cold  blood, 
and  unprovoked,  murdered  all  the  relations  of  Logan,  not 
even  sparing  my  women  and  children.  There  runs  not  a 
drop  of  my  blood  in  the  veins  of  any  living  creature.  This 
called  on  me  for  revenge.  I  have  sought  it ;  I  have  killed 
many ;  I  have  fully  glutted  my  vengeance ;  for  my  country 
I  rejoice  at  the  beams  of  peace.  But  do  not  harbor  a 
thought  that  mine  is  the  joy  of  fear;  Logan  never  felt  fear. 
He  will  not  turn  on  his  heel  to  save  his  life.  Who  is  there 
to  mourn  for  Logan  ?  Not  one." 

In  this  state  of  animosity  were  the  western  Indians  at  the 
commencement  of  our  revolutionary  war.  Colonel  William 
Johnson,  the  British  agent,  died  July  11,  1774,  and  his  son- 
in-law,  Guy  Johnson,  was  appointed  by  the  king  his  suc- 
cessor. He  had  been  in  the  Indian  department  for  nearly 
twenty  years,  and  was  scarcely  as  humane  as  the  Indians 
themselves,  as  subsequent  events  showed.  The  British 
government  early  determined  to  make  allies  of  the  Indians, 
to  help  suppress  the  rebellion  in  America,  and,  July  24, 
1775,  the  Earl  of  Dartmouth  instructed  Colonel  Guy  John- 
son that  "  the  unnatural  rebellion  now  raging  there  calls  for 
every  effort  to  suppress  it;  and  the  intelligence  his  majesty 
has  received  of  the  rebels  having  excited  the  Indians  to 
take  a  part,  and  of  their  having  actually  engaged  a  body  of 
them  in  arms  to  support  their  rebellion,  justifies  the  resolu- 
tion his  majesty  has  taken,  of  requiring  the  assistance  of  his 
faithful  adherents  the  Six  Nations.  It  is  therefore  his  ma- 
jesty's pleasure,  that  you  do  lose  no  time  in  taking  such 
steps  as  may  induce  them  to  take  up  the  hatchet  against  his 
majesty's  rebellious  subjects  in  America,  and  to  engage 
them  in  his  majesty's  service,  upon  such  plan  as  shall  be 


94  UPPEK  MISSISSIPPI. 

suggested  to  you  by  General  Gage,  to  whom  this  letter  is 
sent,  accompanied  with  a  large  assortment  of  goods  for 
presents  to  them  upon  this  important  occasion." 

The  colonial  congress  at  Philadelphia,  July  12th,  1775, 
determined  to  establish  three  departments  of  Indian  affairs, 
the  northern,  middle,  and  southern ;  the  northern  to  include 
the  Six  Nations  and  ah1  other  tribes  to  the  northward  of 
them ;  and  that  commissioners  should  be  appointed,  "  with 
powers  to  treat  with  the  Indians  in  their  respective  depart- 
ments, to  preserve  peace  and  friendship,  and  to  prevent 
their  taking  any  part  in  the  present  commotion." 

In  the  northern  department  the  following  commissioners 
were  appointed:  Major  General  Philip  Schuyler,  Major 
Joseph  Hawley,  Mr.  Turbot  Francis,  Mr.  Oliver  Wolcott, 
and  Mr.  Volkert  P.  Douw. 

Messrs.  Douw  and  Francis  met  the  Six  Nations  at  German 
Flats,  August  15th,  1775,  acquainted  them  that  twelve 
colonies  had  united,  and  invited  the  Indians  to  Albany,  to 
hold  a  council,  August  25th,  of  the  same  year.  A  general 
council  was  accordingly  held  at  Albany,  at  which  the 
Indians  were  told  that  "  this  is  a  family  quarrel  between  us 
and  old  England.  You  Indians  are  not  concerned  in  it. 
We  don't  wish  you  to  take  up  the  hatchet  against  the  king's 
troops.  We  desire  you  to  remain  at  home,  and  not  join 
either  side,  but  keep  the  hatchet  buried  deep."  To  which 
the  Indians  replied  that  Colonel  Johnson,  at  Oswego,  had 
also  requested  them  to  remain  neutral,  and  they  promised 
to  follow  the  wishes  of  both  parties  in  respect  to  neutrality. 

Colonel  Johnson,  however,  stated  in  his  dispatch  to  the 
British  government,  that  he  was  "  threatened  with  an 
attack  from  the  colonists,  and  left  for  Ontario  the  last  of 
May,  at  which  place  he  held  a  council  with  the  Indians 
soon  after,  "  who  agreed  to  defend  the  communication,  and 
assist  his  majesty's  troops  in  their  operations." 

In  the  beginning  of  July,  Colonel  Johnson  left  for  Mon- 
treal with  two  hundred  and  twenty  Indians  and  tories ;  and 


THE  INDIAN  TRIBES,  ETC.  95 

at  the  latter  place,  the  last  of  that  month,  assembled  1,700 
Indians  of  the  northern  confederacy,  who  promised  also  to 
assist  his  majesty's  troops.  The  Indians  did  some  skirmish- 
ing that  summer  and  fall,  near  St.  Johns,  and  thirty-two 
officers  and  men  of  Colonel  Johnson's  department,  and  some 
of  his  Indians,  assisted  in  the  capture  of  Colonel  Ethan 
Allen,  three  miles  from  Montreal,  September  25th;  but 
General  Carlton,  in  command  of  Canada,  refused  to  allow 
Colonel  Johnson  to  send  Indians  south  of  Canada  line,  to 
the  great  disgust  of  Colonel  Johnson  and  his  Indian  allies; 
whereupon  Colonel  Johnson,  to  settle  the  limits"  of  his  com- 
mand, visited  England  with  an  Indian  delegation  the  fol- 
lowing winter,  and  returned  to  Staten  Island,  New  York, 
July  29th,  1776.  During  this  year  the  Indians  assembled 
in  considerable  numbers  at  Niagara  and  in  Canada,  but 
were  little  employed. 

The  Indian  campaign  for  1777  was  organized  in  Canada 
by  Daniel  Glaus,  the  newly- appointed  Indian  agent  for  the 
northern  department,  by  assigning  the  domiciliated  Indians 
of  Canada  to  the  expedition  of  General  Burgoyne,  to 
advance  up  Lake  Champlain,  while  the  Six  Nations  and 
western  Indians  joined  the  expedition  of  General  St.  Ledger, 
which  advanced  into  western  New  York,  and  laid  siege  to 
Fort  Stanwix. 

Soon  after  the  commencement  of  the  siege,  General 
Ledger,  hearing  of  the  advance  of  General  Herkimer  for  the 
relief  of  the  fort,  sent  forward  a  large  force  of  soldiers  and 
all  the  Indians,  and  waylaid  General  Herkimer  on  the  6th 
of  August,  entirely  defeating  his  force,  with  the  loss  of 
General  Herkimer  and  over  400  of  his  troops.  In  the  mean 
time  a  sortie  was  made  from  the  fort,  which  captured  the 
entire  Indian  baggage  and  most  of  their  clothes,  as  the 
Indians  had  gone  to  attack  General  Herkimer  nearly  naked. 
This  so  discouraged  the  Indians  that  they  fell  off  by  degrees, 
and  General  St.  Ledger  hearing  of  General  Arnold's  force, 
which  was  coming  to  the  relief  of  the  fort,  retreated  to 


96  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

Oswego,  from  which  point  General  St.  Ledger,  on  the  26th 
of  August,  was  ordered -to  join  General  Burgoyne,  which 
closed  the  western  campaign.  General  Burgoyne,  still 
more  unfortunate,  was  forced  to  surrender  his  entire  army, 
October  17th,  at  Saratoga. 

At  the  close  of  the  campaign  of  1777,  a  special  effort  was 
made  by  the  Indian  agents  to  rally  the  north-western 
Indians  for  the  following  year,  for  the  British  service. 
Captain  De  Peyster,  the  commandant  at  Mackinaw,  secured 
the  services  of  Charles  De  Langlade,  of  Green  Bay,  and 
many  other  popular  Indian  traders;  and  a  considerable 
force  of  all  the  Wisconsin  and  other  north-western  Indians 
was  sent  to  Oswego,  and  the  sequel  may  be  found  in  the 
dispatch  of  Colonel  Guy  Johnson,  the  Indian  agent,  of 
September  6th,  1778,  where  he  says:  "Your  lordships 
will  have  heard  before  this  can  reach  you,  of  the  successful 
incursions  of  the  Indians  and  loyalists  from  the  northward. 
In  conformity  to  the  instructions  I  conveyed  to  my  officers, 
they  assembled  their  force  early  in  May,  and  one  division, 
under  one  of  my  deputies  (Mr.  Butler)  proceeded  with 
great  success  down  the  Susqueharma,  destroying  the  posts 
and  settlements  at  Wyoming,  augmenting  their  number  with 
many  loyalists,  and  alarming  all  the  country;  whilst  another 
division,  under  Mr.  Brandt,  the  Indian  chief,  cut  off  two 
hundred  and  ninety-four  men  near  Schoharie,  and  destroyed 
the  adjacent  settlements,  with  several  magazines  from 
whence  the  rebels  had  derived  great  resources." 

This  victory  is  known  over  the  civilized  world  as  the 
"  Wyoming  Massacre,"  and  being  specially  directed  and 
controlled  by  the  British  officers  and  British  troops,  who 
were  known  to  have  been  more  savage  than  the  Indians 
themselves,  the  English  people  should  never  thereafter  com- 
plain of  Indian  cruelty. 

It  was  after  the  close  of  this  barbarous  campaign,  that 
Governor  Haldimand,  of  Canada,  presented  Cha-kaw-cha- 
ka-ma,  or  the  Old  King  of  the  Menominie  Indians,  a  medal, 


THE  INDIAN  TKIBES,  ETC.  97 

with  the  date  of  August  17,  1778,  which  has  been  deposited 
in  the  cabinet  of  the  Historical  Society  of  Wisconsin. 

During  this  year,  Colonel  G.  R.  Clarke,  with  a  force  from 
Virginia,  captured  the  Illinois  country ;  and  during  the  fol- 
lowing winter,  Lieuten ant-Governor  Hamilton,  of  Detroit, 
planned  an  expedition  for  its  recovery.  For  that  purpose, 
their  Indian  allies  were  again  summoned  with  the  "  war 
belt "  to  meet  in  council  at  L'Arbre  Croche,  to  go  again  on 
the  war-path.  Again,  Captain  De  Peyster,  the  commandant 
at  Mackinaw,  rallied  his  Indian  traders,  and  De  Langlade 
and  others  sang  the  war-song,  danced  the  war-dance,  and 
distributed  tlie  fire-water,  and  in  due  time  the  bold  warriors 
of  Wisconsin  and  Michigan  were  on  their  way  to  attack  the 
"  Long-knives  /"  but  when  they  reached  St.  Josephs,  at  the 
head  of  Lake  Michigan,  they  learned  with  sorrow  that 
Colonel  Clarke  had  turned  upon  his  pursuers,  and  Governor 
Hamilton  and  his  soldiers  were  prisoners  of  war,  in  the 
hands  of  the  "  Long-knives."  Upon  this  the  war  party 
returned  home. 

Early  in  1779  large  bodies  of  Indians  assembled  in  the 
heart  of  New  York,  under  the  deputy  agent,  Mr.  Butler,  for 
the  purpose  of  reenacting  the  "  Wyoming  Massacre  "  on  the 
western  frontier,  but  were  attacked  by  General  Sullivan  with 
nearly  5,000  American  troops,  driven  to  Canada,  and  forty 
Indian  villages  burned,  and  the  Indian  country  laid  waste. 
The  exasperated  Americans  took  no  prisoners,  but  warriors, 
squaws,  papooses  and  loyalists  were'alike  fortunate  in  find- 
ing a  common  grave.  Late  in  the  fall,  Colonel  Guy  Johnson 
attempted  to  make  another  Indian  campaign,  but  was  de- 
layed by  a  storm  on  the  Lake,  and  finally  stopped  by  orders 
to  go  into  winter  quarters.  This  order  found  on  the  hands 
of  Mr.  Johnson,  as  he  wrote,  November  11,  1779,  2,628 
Indians,  whose  country  was  devastated,  and  who  must  be 
supported  at  the  public  expense. 

In  the  spring  of  1780  Colonel  Johnson  colonized  many  of 
his  Indian  allies  on  the  "  route  to  Ohio,"  where  they  could 
7 


98  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

"plant,"  and  thereby  greatly  lessen  the  government  ex- 
penses. During  this  year  and  the  folloAving,  he  carried  on 
the  "  Petite  Guerre  "  warfare  against  the  western  frontier, 
"  which,"  he  wrote,  "  has  compelled  the  latter  (rebels)  to 
contract  their  frontier,  and  confine  themselves  within  little 
forts."  During  these  two  years,  Colonel  Johnson  appears 
to  have  had  of  the  New  York  and  Canada  Indians  all  that 
he  could  feed  and  employ,  and  we  find  no  evidence  that  he 
called  down  the  north-western  tribes. 

The  campaign  of  1781,  and  the  surrender  of  Cornwallis 
October  19,  of  that  year,  virtually  closed  the  war,  and 
quieted  the  fears  of  the  mothers  and  children  along  our 
extensive  frontier  of  nearly  3,000  miles,  which  for  seven 
years  had  echoed  with  the  merciless  war-whoop  of  the 
Indian,  and  the  more  savage  counterfeit  of  the  tories. 

The  treaty  of  peace  between  Great  Britain  and  the 
United  States,  signed  September  3, 1783,  did  not  adjust  the 
differences  between  the  United  States  and  the  various 
Indian  tribes,  which  had  grown  out  of  the  revolution ;  and 
the  British,  more  bold  than  the  French  after  the  surrender 
of  Canada,  refused  to  yield  up  to  the  United  States  the 
western  military  posts,  and  reenacted  the  Pontiac  conspir- 
acy. The  new  chief  around  which  the  Indians  rallied  was 
Michikinigua,  or  the  "  Little  Turtle,"  the  head  chief  of  the 
Miamies.  Colonel  John  Johnson,  one  of  the  leaders  of  the 
Iroquois  of  New  York,  during  the  revolution,  was  made 
Indian  agent,  and  Major  Matthews  commandant  at  Detroit; 
and  that  post  became  the  central  rendezvous  for  Brant  and 
other  leaders  of  the  Iroqviois,  who  had  displayed  such  fear- 
ful barbarity  during  the  late  war,  and  who  had  been  colon- 
ized in  Ohio  and  Canada.  Here  was  organized,  by  British 
advice,  the  new  Indian  confederacy,  composed  of  the- 
Hurons,  Delawares,  Shawnees,  Miamies,  Kickapoos,Ottawas, 
Chippeways,  Potowatomies,  and  Iroquois,  under  the  nominal 
leadership  of  "  Little  Turtle,"  although,  in  fact,  the  British 
not  only  directed  the  movements  of  the  confederacy,  but 


THE  INDIAN  TRIBES,  ETC. 

furnished  the  Indians  an  abundance  of  arms  and  ammuni- 
tion. 

A  grand  council  of  this  confederacy  was  held  at  the  mouth 
of  Huron  river,  a  little  below  Detroit,  in  December,  1786, 
and  another  soon  after,  in  which  the  Indians,  under  British 
advice,  insisted  on  the  Ohio  river  as  the  old  boundary  line, 
notwithstanding  they  had  allied  themselves  against  the 
United  States,  and  been  defeated  in  the  revolutionary  war. 

The  north-western  territory  had  been  organized  by  Con- 
gress, July  13,  1787,  and  Major-General  Arthur  St.  Clair 
was  appointed  Governor  of  the  territory  in  October  follow- 
ing. He  made  great  exertions  to  pacify  the  Indians,  and 
drew  part  of  the  Indian  confederacy  to  make  a  treaty  Jan- 
uary 9,  1789,  at  Fort  Harmer,  but  it  was  repudiated  by. the 
confederacy,  and  consequently  no  further  attention  was  paid 
to  its  provisions.  Governor  St.  Clair  finally,  believing  that 
no  peace  could  be  established  until  the  Indians  were  de- 
feated, and  the  British  forced  to  show  their  hands  in  their 
Indian  intrigues,  July  15, 1790,  in  pursuance  of  an  order  of 
the  President,  of  the  previous  6th  of  October,  called  on 
Virginia  for  1,000,  and  Pennsylvania  for  500  militia,  to 
cooperate  with  the  few  regular  troops  on  the  Ohio,  in  sup- 
pressing the  Indian  hostilities. 

These  forces  advanced  upon  and  burnt  several  Indian 
villages,  and  a  large  amount  of  corn  in  October  of  the  same 
year,  but  two  of  its  detachments  were  defeated  by  the 
Indians,  and  the  army  returned  to  Fort  Washington  at  Cin- 
cinnati. This  expedition  only  exasperated  the  Indians,  and 
they  renewed  their  murders  with  greater  violence. 

The  following  year  Governor  St.  Clair,  having  been  ap- 
pointed commander-in-chief  of  all  the  forces  sent  against 
the  Indians,  detached  General  Charles  Scott,  of  Kentucky, 
to  advance  on  the  Indians  upon  W abash  river,  where  in 
June  he  took  several  prisoners,  and  burned  a  large  quantity 
of  corn  and  the  village  of  "  Ouiatanon,"  in  which  were 
several  well-built  French  residences.  Colonel  Wilkinson 


100  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

was  then  sent  with  another  expedition  higher  up  the  Wa- 
bash,  and  reached  the  mouth  of  Eel  river  on  the  7th  of 
August,  where  he  burned  a  village,  cut  up  a  large  quantity 
of  corn,  and  took  a  few  prisoners. 

Governor  St.  Clair,  having  collected  together  his  main 
army,  numbering  over  2,300,  advanced  from  Fort  Washing- 
ton September  17,  1791,  and  reached  a  branch  of  the 
Wabash  with  only  about  1,400  men.  Here,  on  the  4th  of 
November,  he  was  boldly  attacked  by  the  confederate  forces, 
and  completely  defeated  with  great  loss.  The  fugitives 
retreated  to  Fort  Jefferson,  twenty-nine  miles  distant,  which 
they  reached  before  dark  of  the  same  day,  the  Indians  hav- 
ing pursued  them  only  four  miles. 

Nearly  two  years,  following  this  defeat,  were  spent  in 
fruitless  negotiations  with  the  Indians,  and  at  last,  August 
13,  1793,  at  a  general  council  held  atMaumee,  they  decided 
that  their  ultimatum  boundary  line  was  the  Ohio  river. 

Some  years  after  this  council,  the  notorious  Brandt,  who 
had  advised  that  council  to  conclude  a  peace  with  the 
United  States,  said  that  such  a  treaty  "  was  opposed  by 
those  acting  under  the  British  government,  and  hopes  of 
further  assistance  were  given  to  our  western  brethren,  to 
encourage  them  to  insist  on  the  Ohio  as  a  boundary  be- 
tween them  and  the  United  States."  The  Governor  of 
Canada  was  evidently  laboring  under  the  impression  that  by 
holding  on  to  Detroit,  and  fomenting  the  Indian  war,  the 
United  States  would,  in  the  end,  vary  the  treaty  of  1788, 
and  extend  the  British  possessions  to  the  Ohio  river ;  and 
he  carried  that  impression  in  his  address  to  the  Indian  dele- 
gates in  February,  1794;  but  in  this  he  was  bound  to  be 
disappointed. 

In  the  spring  of  1794  a  new  enemy  of  the  United  States 
appeared,  from  the  Spanish  settlements  of  the  Mississippi, 
offering  the  aid  of  Spain  to  the  Indians,  if  they  would  con- 
tinue their  war  against  the  United  States.  Thus  advised 
and  led  on  by  the  crafty,  civilized  nations  of  Europe,  the 


THE  INDIAN  TRIBES,  ETC.  101 

poor,  ignorant  red  man  renewed  the  war-whoop,  and  rushed 
forward  to  inevitable  destruction.  General  Anthony  Wayne, 
the  hero  of  Stony  Point,  was  appointed  to  succeed  General 
St.  Clair  over  the  western  troops,  and  spent  the  winter  of 
1792-3  in  drilling  his  troops  at  Legionville,  and  moved 
down  to  Fort  Washington,  in  May,  1793,  where  -he  spent  the 
summer  of  that  year.  Having  received  news  of  the  failure 
of  the  commissioners  to  negotiate  a  peace,  he  left  Fort 
Washington,  October  7th,  and  on  the  13th  of  the  same 
month  encamped  six  miles  in  front  of  Fort  Jeiferson,  and 
named  his  camp  Fort  Greenville,  where  he  spent  the  winter. 
During  the  winter  and  spring  of  1794,  General  Wayne 
erected  Fort  Recovery  on  St.  Clair's  battle-ground,  buried 
six  hundred  skulls  found  on  the  ground,  and  made  every 
proper  arrangement  for  the  summer  campaign. 

"  Little  Turtle"  opened  the  campaign  by  attacking  Fort 
Recovery,  June  30th,  with  some  1,500  warriors  and  some 
British  volunteers,  but  was  finally  driven  off.  July  26th, 
General  Scott  arrived  from  Kentucky  with  a  reinforcement 
of  1,600  mounted  militia,  and  in  two  days  thereafter,  Gen- 
eral Wayne  commenced  his  advance,  and,  on  the  20th  of 
August,  met  the  Indians  in  force  on  the  north  bank  of  the 
Maurnee  river.  The  Indians  were  formed  in  three  lines, 
with  their  left  resting  on  the  river,  and  right  extending  two 
miles,  at  right  angles  with  the  river,  to  a  very  thick  brush- 
wood. 

General  Scott  was  ordered  to  charge  the  Indians'  right 
flank,  and  Captain  Campbell  the  left,  while  the  infantry, 
with  trailed  arms,  were  ordered  to  rouse  the  Indians  from 
their  coverts  with  the  bayonet,  and  then  deliver  their  fire  as 
the  Indians  retreated.  Such  was  the  impetuosity  of  the 
charge  of  the  infantry,  that  but  part  of  General  Scott's 
mounted  force  could  get  in  position  so  as  to  take  part  in 
the  battle.  In  one  hour,  the  entire  Indian  force  was  driven 
two  miles,  and  their  defeat  was  complete,  leaving  the 
ground  strewed  with  dead  bodies,  among  which  were  found 


102  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

many  Canadians,  armed  with  British  muskets  and  bayonets. 
About  seventy  of  the  Canadian  militia  were  in  the  battle 
with  the  Indians.  This  battle  was  fought  in  sight  of  the 
new  British  fort,  and  the  American  troops  burned  the 
houses  and  stores  belonging  to  the  Indians  and  Canadians, 
as  well  as  the  house  and  store  of  McKee,  the  British  agent, 
under  the  guns  of  the  fort.  This  was  the  severest  defeat 
ever  received  by  the  western  Indians.  After  this  battle, 
General  Wayne  laid  waste  the  Indian  country,  and  retired 
to  Fort  Greenville,  to  winter  quarters. 

Governor  Simcoe,  of  Canada,  knowing  that  the  Indians 
would  probably  sue  for  peace  after  so  severe  a  defeat, 
sought  to  forestall  peace  negotiations,  by  calling  a  coun- 
cil on  the  10th  of  October  of  the  same  year,  at  which  he 
urged  the  Indians  to  still  insist  on  the  Ohio  river  as  the 
boundary  line,  and  advised  them  to  convey  their  lands  to  the 
king,  so  as  to  give  the  British  a  pretext  for  assisting  them. 
and  accompanied  his  advice  with  promises  of  large  presents; 
but  the  Indians  were  divided  in  council  as  to  the  proper 
course  for  the  future,  and  finally,  on  the  24th  of  January, 
1795,  the  preliminary  terms  were  agreed  upon  by  a. large 
delegation,  who  met  General  Wayne  at  Fort  Greenville. 

The  new  treaty  between  the  United  States  and  Great 
Britain  was  signed  by  Mr.  Jay  and  others,  November  19th, 
1794,  and  finally  ratified  by  the  president,  August  14th  of 
the  following  year,  by  which  the  British  agreed  to  surrender 
the  north-western  posts  to  the  United  States. 

The  British  agents  had  continued  to  tamper  with  the 
Indians  to  induce  them  to  renew  the  war,  but  the  news  of 
the  treaty  between  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States 
much  abated  their  zeal,  and  the  Indians  finally  assembled  in 
great  numbers,  and  concluded  a  treaty  with  General  Wayne, 
August  3rd,  1795,  by  which  they  agreed  to  surrender  all 
prisoners,  and  consented  to  the  following  boundary  line : 
"  Beginning  at  the  mouth  of  Cuyahoga  river,  and  run  thence 
up  the  same  to  the  portage  between  that  and  the  Tuscar- 


THE  INDIAN  TRIBES,  ETC.  103 

a  was  branch  of  the  Muskingum ;  thence  down  that  branch 
to  the  crossing  place  above  Fort  Lawrence  ;  thence  west- 
erly to  a  fork  of  that  branch  of  the  great  Miami  river,  run- 
ning into  the  Ohio,  at  or  near  which  fork  stood  Loromie's 
store,  and  where  commences  the  portage  between  the  Miami 
of  the  Ohio  and  St.  Mary's  river,  which  is  a  branch  of  the 
Miami  which  runs  into  Lake  Erie ;  thence  a  westerly  course 
to  Fort  Recovery,  which  stands  on  a  branch  of  the  Wabash ; 
then  south-westerly  in  a  direct  line  to  the  Ohio,  so  as  to 
intersect  that  river  opposite  the  mouth  of  Kentucke  or 
Cuttawa  river." 

The  Indians  also  ceded  to  the  United  States  the  follow- 
ing tracts,  viz. :  "(1.)  One  piece  of  land,  six  miles  square,  at 
or  near  Loromie's  store  before  mentioned.  (2.)  One  piece, 
two  miles  square,  at  the  head  of  the  navigable  water  or 
landing  on  the  St.  Mary's  river,  near  Girty's  town.  (3.) 
One  piece,  six  miles  square,  at  the  head  of  the  navigable 
water  of  the  Au-Glaize  river.  (4.)  One  piece,  six  miles 
square,  at  the  confluence  of  the  Au-Glaize  and  Miami  rivers, 
where  Fort  Defiance  now  stands.  (5.)  One  piece,  six  miles 
square,  at  or  near  the  confluence  of  the  rivers  St.  Mary's 
and  St.  Joseph's,  where  Fort  Wayne  now  stands,  or  near  it. 
(6.)  One  piece,  two  miles  square,  on  the  Wabash  river,  at 
the  end  of  the  portage  from  the  Miami  of  the  lake,  and 
about  eight  miles  westward  from  Fort  Wayne.  (7.)  One 
piece,  six  miles  square,  at  Outanon  or  old  Weea  towns,  on 
the  Wabash  river.  (8.)  One  piece,  twelve  miles  square,  at 
the  British  fort  on  the  Miami  of  the  lake,  at  the  foot  of  the 
rapids.  (9.)  One  piece,  six  miles  square,  at  the  mouth  of 
the  said  river,*  where  it  empties  into  the  lake.  (10.)  One 
piece,  six  miles  square,  upon  Sandusky  lake,  where  a  fort 
formerly  stood.  (11.)  One  piece,  two  miles  square,  at  the 
lower  rapids  of  Sandusky  river.  (12.)  The  post  of  Detroit, 
and  all  the  land  to  the  north,  the  west,  and  the  south  of  it, 
of  which  the  Indians'  title  has  been  extinguished  by  gifts  or 
grants  to  the  French  or  English  governments ;  and  so  much 


104  UPPEE  MISSISSIPPI. 

more  land  to  be  annexed  to  the  district  of  Detroit  as  shall 
be  comprehended  between  the  River  Rosine  on  the  south, 
Lake  St.  Clair  on  the  north,  and  a  line,  the  general  course 
whereof  shall  be  six  miles  distant  from  the  west  end  of 
Lake  Erie  and  Detroit  river.  (13.)  The  post  of  Michilli- 
mackinack,  and  all  the  land  on  the  island  on  which  that  post 
stands,  and  the  mainland  adjacent,  of  which  the  Indian  title 
has  been  extinguished  by  gifts  or  grants  to  the  French  or 
English  governments ;  and  a  piece  of  land  on  the  main,  to 
the  north  of  the  island,  to  measure  six  miles  on  Lake  Huron, 
or  the  strait  between  Lakes  Huron  and  Michigan,  and  to 
extend  three  miles  back  from  the  water  of  the  lake  or  strait ; 
and  also  the  Island  De  Bois  Blanc,  being  an  extra  and 
voluntary  gift  of  the  Chipewa  nation.  (14.)  One  piece  of 
land,  six  miles  square,  at  the  mouth  of  Chikago  river 
emptying  into  the  south-west  end  of  Lake  Michigan,  where 
a  fort  formerly  stood.  (15.)  One  piece,  twelve  miles  square, 
at  or  near  the  mouth  of  Illinois  river  emptying  into  the  Mis- 
sissippi. (16.)  One  piece,  six  miles  square,  at  the  old 
Peorias  fort  and  village,  near  the  south  end  of  the  Illinois 
lake,  on  said  Illinois  river." 

The  United  States,  by  article  fourth  of  the  treaty,  relin- 
quish to  the  Indians  all  their  claim  to  lands  from  said 
boundary  line  to  the  Mississippi,  except  the  following : 

"  1st.  The  tract  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  acres 
near  the  rapids  of  the  Ohio,  which  has  been  assigned  to 
General  Clark,  for  the  use  of  himself  and  his  warriors. 

"  2nd.  The  post  of  St.  Vincennes  on  the  river  W abash, 
and  the  lands  adjacent,  of  which  the  Indian  title  has  been 
extinguished. 

"  3rd.  The  lands  at  all  other  places  in  possession  of  the 
French  people  and  other  white  settlers  among  them,  of 
which  the  Indian  title  has  been  extinguished  as  mentioned 
in  the  3rd  article ;  and 

"  4th.  The  post  of  Fort  Massac,  towards  the  mouth  of  the 
Ohio.  To  which  several  parcels  of  land  so  excepted,  the 


THE  INDIAN  TRIBES,  ETC.  105 

said  tribes  relinquish  all  the  title  and  claim  which  they  or 
any  of  them  may  have." 

This  treaty,  so  important  to  the  north-west,  was  signed 
by  the  number  of  chiefs  and  warriors  of  the  different  tribes 
as  follows:  Wyandots  or  Hurons,  10;  Delawares,  14; 
Shawnees,  9 ;  Ottawas,  7  ;  Chippeways,  1 1 ;  Potowatomies, 
of  St.  Josephs,  22,  and  of  Huron  7  ;  Miamies,  5 ;  Eel  river 
band,  1  ;  Weeas,  for  themselves  and  Piaukaskias,  3 ;  Kick- 
apoos  and  Kaskaskias,  3 ;  Delawares,  of  Sandusky,  3.  In 
the  treaty  at  Fort  Harmar  in  1789,  by  a  part  of  these  tribes, 
the  Sacs  were  named,  but  none  were  named  in  the  treaty 
of  General  Wayne. 

It  has  been  customary  for  authors  to  name  all  the  Wis- 
consin Indians  as  belonging  to  this  confederacy,  but  I  find 
no  evidence  that  the  Winnebagoes,  Menoniinies,  Foxes, 
Sioux  or  Chippeways,  of  Lake  Superior,  took  any  definite 
part,  although  a  few  individuals  of  each  tribe  might  have 
done  so ;  but  as  the  war  between  the  Chippeways  of  the 
north,  and  the  Sioux  and  their  allies,  the  Sacs,  Foxes,  Win- 
nebagoes, and  Menoniinies  of  the  south,  was  then  raging,  it 
is  quite  probable  that  the  Wisconsin  Indians,  strictly  speak- 
ing, should  not  be  regarded  as  beloitging  to  "  Little  Tur- 
tle's "  confederacy.  Even  the  two  Sacs  who  signed  the 
treaty  at  Fort  Harmar,  were  probably  insignificant  warriors, 
as  their  names  do  not  appear  in  any  subsequent  treaties 
with  that  tribe. 

The  difficulties  which  were  fomenting  between  England, 
France,  and  the  United  States,  during  the  wars  of  Napo- 
leon, threatening  every  year  to  culminate  in  an  open  and 
bloody  war  between  the  United  States  on  one  side,  and 
alternately  with  France  or  England  on  the  other,  tended  to 
keep  the  partisans  of  the  two  latter  nations,  in  the  west,  in 
constant  communication  with  the  various  Indian  tribes ;  and 
in  that  intercourse,  being  further  moved  upon  by  the  rivalry 
of  trade,  they  neglected  nothing  which  would  prejudice  the 
7* 


106  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

Indians  against  the  Americans,  and  prepossess  them  in 
favor  of  the  English  and  French. 

Tecumseh  and  his  twin  brother,  Elskwatawa,  of  the 
Shawnee  tribe,  were  the  two  who  constituted  themselves  as 
the  leaders,  to  regenerate  their  race ;  —  the  former  as  war 
chief,  and  the  latter  as  prophet.  The  plan  of  Tecumseh 
and  his  brother  was  certainly  a  good  one  to  prejudice  the 
Indians  against  the  Americans,  and  in  favor  of  both  English 
and  French,  and  was  evidently  generated  in  more  civilized 
heads. 

The  prophet  preached  that  while  the  Great  Spirit  made 
the  English,  French,  and  Indians,  that  he  did  not  make  the 
Americans,  but  that  the  latter  grew  from  the  scum  of  the 
great  salt  water,  when  it  was  troubled  by  the  evil  spirit,  and 
the  froth  was  driven  into  the  woods  by  a  strong  east  wind ; 
and  that  the  Great  Spirit  hates  the  Americans,  as  the  chil- 
dren of  the  evil  spirit.  Among  other  things,  the  prophet 
taught  the  Indians  that  they  must  not  give  the  Americans 
meat,  nor  sell  them  their  land,  and  that  each  tribe  must 
send  two  delegates  to  be  instructed  in  the  faith  by  the 
prophet,  or  else  the  tribe  would  be  cut  off  from  the  face  of 
the  earth.  All  were,  positively  prohibited  from  divulging 
the  faith  to  the  Americans,  under  the  penalty  of  death. 

Thus,  armed  with  the  new  religion  and  the  tomahawk,  no 
uncommon  weapons  in  the  civilized  world,  they  commenced 
proselyting  among  all  the  tribes  west  to  the  Rocky  moun- 
tains, and  two  old  chiefs  of  the  Delawares,  and  one  of  the 
Wyandots,  were  known  to  have  been  tomahawked  by  order 
of  the  prophet,  for  refusing  to  be  converted.  The  new 
faith  found  converts  among  all  the  western  tribes  from 
about  1805  to  1811. 

The.  conduct  of  the  Shawnees,  and  that  of  the  prophet 
and  Tecumseh,  at  their  village  at  Tippecanoe,  having 
alarmed  the  Americans,  General  Harrison,  in  the  fall  of 
1811,  was  ordered  with  1,200  men  to  advance  011  the  Shaw- 
nee  town,  to  ascertain  the  purposes  of  the  savages.  On  the 


THE  nSTDIAK  TRIBES,  ETC.  107 

6th  of  November  he  encamped  within  one  mile  of  the  town, 
where  he  met  a  delegation  of  Indians,  who  promised  to 
meet  the  General  in  council  the  next  morning.  An  hour 
before  daylight  on  the  morning  of  the  7th  of  November,  it 
being  dark  and  rainy,  the  Indians  suddenly  attacked  Gen- 
eral Harrison's  army  on  all  sides,  and  a  fierce  and  bloody 
battle  ensued ;  but  the  Americans,  having  the  advantage  of 
position,  steadily  held  their  ground  until  after  daylight,  when 
the  Indians  were  fiercely  charged  with  the  bayonet  and  the 
sword,  and  routed  at  every  point.  Unfortunately  for  the 
Shawnees,  Tecumseh  was  absent  at  the  time,  not  expecting 
so  sudden  an  attack  by  General  Harrison,  and  his  shrill 
voice  was  not  there  to  direct  the  movements  of  the  over- 
ardent  warriors. 

Thus  prepared  in  advance  for  the  war  which  was  de- 
clared the  following  June  against  Great  Britain,  it  required 
only  the  war-whoop  to  rally  the  thousands  of  fierce  warriors 
to  the  deadly  strife.  Although  war  was  declared  the  18th 
of  June,  news  of  the  declaration  did  not  reach  Governor 
Hull,  at  Detroit,  until  July  2nd,  and  not  until  some  days 
after  the  news  was  possessed  by  the  British  at  Maiden,  in 
Canada,  opposite  Detroit ;  which  enabled  the  British  to 
capture  General  Hull's  baggage  on  its  way  to  Detroit. 

Colonel  Robert  Dickson,  an  old  English  trader  at  Prairie 
du  Chien,  and  British  Indian  agent,  had  so  well  anticipated 
the  progress  of  events,  that  with  a  large  Indian  force  of 
Sioux,  Winnebagoes,  Menominies  and  others,  he  reached 
Mackinaw,  and  with  some  forces  from  the  east,  captured  that 
post  on  the  17th  of  July,  and  communicated  to  Lieutenant 
Hanks,  its  commandant,  the  first  news  he  had  of  the  decla- 
ration of  war. 

Governor  Hull,  fearing  a  similar  fate  to  the  fort  at 
Chicago,  ordered  Captain  Heald  to  evacuate  that  post,  and 
take  his  command  to  Detroit.  Accordingly,  that  fort  was 
evacuated  on  the  morning  of  the  15th  of  August,  but 
Captain  Heald  and  his  party  were  attacked  by  the  Poto- 


108  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

watomies  soon  after  they  left  the  fort ;  fifty  men,  women 
and  children  were  killed,  and  the  balance  taken  prisoners. 

After  the  capture  of  Mackinaw,  Colonel  Dickson  returned 
to  Green  Bay,  when  he  sent  messages  to  other  tribes,  and 
among  the  rest,  to  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  at  Rock  Island,  and 
to  the  Potowatomies,  to  collect  parties  and  meet  him  at  the 
Bay,  and  receive  presents,  guns  and  ammunition. 

The  Sac  chief,  with  two  hundred  warriors,  reached  the 
bay,  was  feasted  and  armed  by  Colonel  Dickson,  and 
appointed  brigadier-general  of  the  Indian  forces.  The  fol- 
lowing day,  Colonel  Dickson,  Black  Hawk,  and  about  five 
hundred  warriors,  started  for  Detroit  by  way  of  Chicago, 
and  passed  the  latter  place  soon  after  the  massacre  of 
Captain  Heald's  party.  Tecumseh  commanded  the  Indian 
forces  near  Detroit,  at  the  surrender  of  General  Hull, 
August  16th,  which  numbered  about  seven  hundred 
warriors. 

The  north-western  Indians  continued  in  the  British 
service,  under  General  Proctor,  in  the  region  of  Detroit 
and  north-western  Ohio,  until  the  defeat  of  that  general 
before  Fort  Stevenson,  011  the  Sandusky  river,  August  1st, 
1813,  when  that  general  retired  to  Maiden,  and  the  most  of 
the  north-western  Indians,  including  Black  Hawk,  and 
about  twenty  of  his  Sac  warriors,  returned  home  disgusted 
with  the  service..  The  balance  of  the  Indians,  however, 
returned  to  Maiden  under  Tecumseh,  and  were  finally 
defeated  by  General  Harrison,  October  5th  of  that  year,  at 
the  battle  of  the  Thames,  where  the  brave  Tecumseh  and 
one  hundred  and  thirty  Indian  warriors  were  left  dead  on 
the  field. 

This  serious  defeat  broke  the  Tecumseh  confederacy, 
and,  the  following  year,  the  most  of  the  hostile  bands  of  the 
Miamies,  Delawares,  Shawnees,  Potowatomies,  Ottawas, 
and  Kickapoos,  formed  a  treaty  with  the  United  States,  in 
which  they,  among  other*  things,  "  engaged  to  give  their 
aid  to  the  United  States  in  prosecuting  the  war  against 


THE  INDIAN  TRIBES,  ETC.  Ill 

Great  Britain,  and  such  of  the  Indian  tribes  as  still  continue 
hostile."  It  should  be  borne  in  mind,  however,  that  many 
of  the  bands  of  the  Senecas,  Wyandots,  Delawares,  and 
Shawnees,  never  joined  the  Tecumseh  confederacy,  but 
fought  throughout  the  war  on  the  American  side. 

In  the  summer  of  1814,  Major  Holmes,  with  a  .small  force 
of  Americans,  attempted  to  recapture  Mackinaw  ;  but  news 
of  the  expedition  reaching  Colonel  Dickson,  who  rallied  a 
large  force  of  Indians  from  Wisconsin,  with  some  two 
hundred  Sioux,  and  most  of  the  Indian  traders  of  Green 
Bay,  whom  he  conducted  to  Mackinaw,  and,  with  the 
British  troops  and  traders  at  that  place,  successfully  resisted 
the  attack  of  the  Americans ;  and  Major  Holmes,  and  eleven 
others,  were  killed  in  the  battle  which  ensued,  on  the  4th  of 
August. 

Immediately  after  this  affair,  the  Americans  having 
taken  possession  of  Prairie  Du  Chien,  Lieutenant-Colonel 
William  McKay,  of  the  British  forces,  was  dispatched  with 
a  few  regulars,  two  companies  of  Mackinaw  militia  under 
Captains  Rolette  and  Anderson,  and  one  brass  six-pounder, 
to  recover  that  post.  Colonel  Dickson  remained  at  Mack- 
inaw to  defend  the  place,  but  detached  two  hundred  Sioux, 
one  hundred  Winnebagoes,  and  some  Foxes,  to  accompany 
the  expedition  to  Prairie  Du  Chien.  This  force  recruited 
at  Green  Bay  one  company  of  militia,  seventy-five  Meno- 
minies,  and  twenty-five  Chippeways.  The  expedition 
passed  the  portage  and  down  the  Wisconsin  in  canoes  and 
bateaux,  and  laid  siege  to  the  Fort  at  Prairie  Du  Chien, 
which  contained  about  sixty  American  soldiers,  July  17th, 
1814.  After  four  days'  siege,  Lieutenant  Perkins  surrendered 
the  fort ;  but,  in  the  mean  time,  the  small  gun-boat  which 
contained  the  ammunition  and  most  of  the  supplies,  had 
escaped  down  the  Mississippi. 

About  the  same  time,  Major  Campbell  left  St.  Louis  with 
a  force  of  United  States  troops,  to  reinforce  Prairie  Du 
Chien,  but  was  attacked  above  Rock  Island  by  Black  Hawk 


112  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

with  an  Indian  force;  one  boat  was  captured,  several 
soldiers  killed,  Major  Campbell  and  others  wounded,  when 
the  expedition  returned  to  St.  Louis.  Soon  after  this  affair, 
some  troops  and  cannon  were  sent  from  Prairie  Du  Chien 
by  the  British  to  Rock  Island,  with  a  considerable  Indian 
force,  to  defend  Black  Hawk  and  his  band  from  the  attacks 
of  the  Americans. 

Major  Zachary  Taylor,  with  three  hundred  troops  in 
boats,  attacked  Black  Hawk,  August  3rd,  but  were  repulsed 
with  some  loss,  and  Major  Taylor  and  his  troops  returned 
to  St.  Louis. 

The  total  defeat  of  the  British  at  New  Orleans,  January 
8th,  1815,  by  General  Jackson,  and  the  ratification  of  a 
treaty  of  peace  in  February  following,  with  Great  Britain, 
again  silenced  the  war-whoop  in  the  Mississippi  valley,  and 
the  great  tide  of  immigration  that  rolled  into  it  the  few  fol- 
lowing years,  removed  all  serious  fears  of  its  repetition  for 
some  time  to  come. 

In  the  history  of  the  Indian  tribes  in  the  north-west,  set 
forth  in  the  last  three  chapters,  the  reader  will  at  once  per- 
ceive that  there  was  a  constant  rivalry  between  the  govern- 
ments of  Great  Britain,  France,  and  the  United  States,  as 
to  which  of  them  should  secure  the  services  of  the  bar- 
barians, to  scalp  their  white  enemies ;  while  each  in  turn 
were  the  loudest  to  denounce  the  shocking  barbarities  of 
such  tribes  as  they  failed  to  secure  in  their  own  service ; 
and  the  civilized  world,  aghast  at  these  horrid  recitals, 
ignore  the  facts  that  nearly  every  important  massacre  in 
the  history  of  North  America,  was  organized  and  directed 
by  agents  of  some  one  of  these  governments. 

The  system  of  warfare  in  vogue  among  the  Indian  nations 
of  North  America  at  the  discovery  of  the  continent,  was  of 
the  guerrilla  kind,  in  which  the  friends  of  the  deceased 
organized  a  raid  against  their  enemies,  to  revenge  their 
friends'  death,  and  a  few  scalps  were  quite  sufficient  to 
satiate  their  anger.  Hence  we  learn  from  Champlain,  Mont- 


THE  INDIAN  TRIBES,  ETC.  113 

calm,  and  Sir  William  Johnson,  that  it  required  all  their 
arts  of  persuasion  to  keep  their  Indian  allies  in  the  field  after 
their  first  skirmish ;  and  to  the  civilization  of  European 
warfare  are  we  indebted  for  the  most  of  our  serious  mas- 
sacres. 

The  fact  that  Indians  often  killed  women  and  children  in 
war,  and  murcered  some  of  their  prisoners  afterwards,  has 
been  taken  as  evidence  that  the  Indian  nature  was  innately 
brutal,  and  they  have  ignored  the  facts  that  it  is  not  a  century 
since  the  British  burnt  New  London,  in  Connecticut,  and 
put  the  garrison  of  Fort  Griswold  to  the  sword;  that 
Napoleon  massacred  3,000  Turkish  prisoners,  and  tui-ned 
over  the  city  of  Joppa  to  be  sacked  by  his  soldiers,  after  he 
had  promised  the  city  protection  if  they  would  surrender ; 
while,  still  later,  an  organized  confederacy  of  whites  in  the 
United  States  never  repudiated  the  massacre  at  Fort  Pillow, 
nor  the  stai'ving  of  prisoners  at  AndersonviUe.  We  also 
ignore  the  massacre  of  nearly  2,000  Indians  by  Governor 
Kieft,  of  New  Amsterdam,  as  early  as  1645,  in  which  not  a 
woman  or  child  was  spared. 

With  this  chapter  we  pass  the  period  in  which  the  north- 
western Indians  were  used  as  "  cats'  paws"  by  rival  govern- 
ments, and  made  subservient  only  to  foreign  interest ;  and 
shall  hereafter  attempt  to  trace  that  under  -  current  of 
Christian  love,  which  often  struggled  for  the  mastery,  but 
almost  uniformly  failed,  from  the  effect  of  governmental 
power  and  interest.  We  here,  also,  take  the  opportunity  to 
congratulate  our  readers  that,  after  the  close  of  the  war  of 
1812,  we  find  a  change  in  government  policy;  and,  there- 
after, the  government  acting  in  harmony  with  the  Christian 
interests,  to  improve  the  condition  of  the  Indian  race. 
8 


COPTER  V. 


THE    CATHOLIC   MISSIONS. 

THE  nominal  Christianity  of  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth 
centuries  was  so  interwoven  with  bigotry,  politics,  supersti- 
tion, and  legerdemain,  that  the  conscientious  Christian  of 
the  present  day  at  times  doubts  if  Christianity  then  existed 
at  all  among  the  nations  of  Europe.  To  say  the  least,  the 
stench  of  the  blood  then  shed  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  is  still 
offensive  in  the  nostrils  of  all  civilized  society. 

Unfortunately  for  the  new  world,  this  Christianity  crossed 
the  ocean,  associated  with  avarice  of  the  nominal  pilgrims ; 
and  the  untutored  red  man  received  his  first  lessons  of 
Christianity  from  the  same  men  that  robbed  his  wigwam, 
and  pillaged  his  corn  and  the  graves  of  his  ancestors.  Even 
the  pilgrims  crossed  the  ocean  to  murder  heretics;  and, 
consequently,  we  find  Melendez,  of  Spain,  in  1564,  the  com- 
mandant of  an  expedition  that  murdered  nearly  eight 
hundred  Huguenots  in  Florida;  and  De  Gourges,  of  France, 
in  1568  the  commandant  of  an  expedition  that  retaliated,  by 
exterminating  the  Spaniards,  and  hanging  two  hundred  of 
them  on  the  trees.  With  little  less  of  cruelty,  Catholics, 
Episcopalians,  Baptists,  and  Quakers  could  not  be  tolerated 
in  Massachusetts,  nor  Protestants  in  Canada ;  and  a  man's 
life  often  poised  on  the  thread  whether  he  believed  in  tran- 
substantiation,  predestination,  immersion,  or  preaching  for 
hire.  But  with  all  the  faults  attributable  to  nominal  Christ- 
ianity, Jesus  still  reigned  over  his  kingdom,  which  was 


THE  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS.  115 

"  not  of  this  world ;"  and  the  seeds  of  true  Christianity 
often  germinated  with  vigor  in  the  wilds  of  America. 

Long  before  the  gentle  and  pious  Elliot  had  won  over  the 
bold  Mohegans  to  Christianity  within  ten  miles  of  Boston, 
the  adventurous  Catholic  missionaries  had  converted  villages 
of  Hurons,  on  the  north-eastern  shore  of  Lake  Huron,  and 
had  even  planted  the  cross  at  the  Falls  of  St.  Mary,  at  the 
outlet  of  the  great  Lake  Superior. 

The  English  colonies  in  America  were  not  planted  for 
missionary  purposes,  but  were  designed  more  as  a  refuge 
for  the  persecuted  non-conformists  of  England ;  and  the 
main  point  for  the  consideration  of  the  emigrant,  was  to 
make  himself  a  home  and  a  plantation,  and  secure  the 
political  power  of  the  colony  for  his  own  protection  against 
the  mother  country.  But  it  was  far  different  with  the 
colonists  of  Quebec.  Their  religion  was  supreme  in  France, 
and  they  came  to  America  to  establish  trade  with  the  Indian 
tribes.  Agriculture,  on  the  frosty  banks  of  the  St.  Lawrence, 
was  but  a  secondary  consideration ;  hence,  few  became 
farmers,  and  the  great  majority  plunged  into  the  forests  and  / 
became  the  adventurous  courrier  de  bois. 

Sieur  Champlain  had  only  made  a  few  treaties,  and 
fought  a  few  battles  with  the  Indian  tribes,  before  he  sent 
to  France  for  missionaries,  and  early  in  1615  he  procured 
three  priests  of  the  order  of  the  Recollects,  and  commenced 
the  missionary  work  at  once.  Although  the  primary  object 
of  the  French  colony  was  trade,  yet  Champlain  soon  found 
that  it  was  no  easy  matter  to  successfully  carry  on  trade 
with  superstitious  barbarians,  and  we  may  well  believe  that 
it  was  a  happy  idea  when  he  conceived  the  project  of  Chris- 
tianizing the  Indians,  to  protect  his  trade  with  them.  Rev. 
Father  Dennis  Jamay  took  post  at  Quebec,  John  D'Olbeau 
hastened  to  Tadoussac  to  learn  the  language  of  the  Algon- 
quins,  and  Father  Joseph  Le  Caron  was  attached  to  Sieur 
Champlain's  war  party,  then  about  to  set  out  to  explore 
Lake  Huron.  The  party  reached  the  lake  by  the  Ottawa 


116  UPPEK  MISSISSIPPI. 

river  of  Canada,  and  while  the  priest  was  engaged  in  col- 
lecting a  vocabulary  of  the  Huron  language,  Sieur  Cham- 
plain  led  an  unsuccessful  war  party  of  the  Hurons  and 
Algonquins  against  the  Iroquois  of  New  York.  The  party 
returned  to  Quebec  the  following  summer.  In  1622,  Rev. 
Father  Poulain  visited  the  Hurons,  and  some  others  from 
time  to  time  thereafter,  including  the  Rev.  Father  Brebeuf, 
until  July,  1629,  when  the  English  took  possession  of 
Canada,  and  transported  to  England  Sieur  Champlain,  the 
priests,  and  the  principal  men  of  the  colony. 

Three  years  after,  Canada  was  restored  to  France,  and 
the  task  of  converting  the  savages  assigned  to  the  "  Society 
of  Jesus,"  and  the  Recollects  refused  admission  to  Canada. 
This  so  grieved  the  zealous  Le  Caron  that  he  died  of  disap- 
pointment early  in  the  spring  of  the  same  year.  1633  found 
the  Rev.  Father  Brebeuf,  with  several  of  his  Jesuit  associ- 
ates, returned  to  Canada,  but  unfortunately  for  them,  the 
allied  Hurons  and  Algonquins,  during  the  absence  of  the 
French,  had  fought  a  great  battle  with  the  Iroquois  of  New 
York,  and  been  badly  defeated ;  and  becoming  alarmed  at 
their  misfortunes,  caused  by  their  alliance  with  the  French, 
the  Hurons  were  unwilling  that  the  Jesuits  should  go  to  the 
old  missions  on  Lake  Huron,  and  the  Algonquins  of  Ottawa 
river  positively  refused  the  missionaries  a  passage  through 
their  country.  Thus  matters  stood  through  the  following 
winter ;  but  French  diplomacy  and  presents  again  won  over 
their  old  allies,  and  in  1634  the  Rev.  Fathers  Brebeuf, 
Daniel,  and  Davost,  planted  themselves  in  the  old  mission 
on  Lake  Huron.  They  commenced  their  woi'k  with  great 
zeal,  but  their  former  power  was  broken,  and  they  met  with 
great  opposition  from  the  medicine-men  of  the  tribe.  To 
add  to  their  misfortunes,  in  the  fall  of  1636  the  Rev.  Fathers 
Gamier,  Chatelain,  and  Jogues  arrived  as  their  assistants, 
but  accompanying  them  came  that  terrible  plague  to  the 
Indians,  the  small-pox.  This  disease  raged  with  viru- 
lence for  some  years,  and  in  1637  the  missionaries  were 


FATHER   ISAAC    JOGUES,   S.  J. 


THE  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS.  119 

openly  charged  with  producing  this  disease  by  witchcraft,  >^ 
for  the  destruction  of  the  Indians ;  and  their  cabins  were 
burned  by  the  infuriated  savages,  and  the  missionaries  daily 
expected  to  be  tomahawked.  But  Brebeuf  having  elo- 
quently defended  himself  and  his  brethren,  before  an  Indian 
council  in  1638,  their  principal  accuser  was  tomahawked  by 
his  side,  and  the  priests  escaped.  In  the  spring  of  1639  the 
small-pox  was  brought  in  again,  and  the  old  charges  revived 
against  the  priests,  who  suffered  every  thing  but  death  from 
the  savages.  / 

The  missionary  force  having  increased  to  thirteen  priests, 
the  following  year  they  began  to  extend  their  field  of  labor 
to  other  tribes,  and  in  the  fall  of  1641  the  Rev.  Fathers 
Isaac  Jogues,  and  Charles  Raymbaut,  planted  the  cross  at 
the  falls  of  St.  Mary,  at  the  outlet  of  Lake  Superior,  in  an 
assembled  multitude  of  2,000  Chippeways  and  other  nations. 

From  this  time  the  misfortunes  of  the  missionaries  began 
to  accumulate.  Fathers  Raymbaut  and  Jogues  returned  to 
Quebec  in  the  summer  of  1642,  where  the  former  died  with 
the  consumption,  October  22nd;  and  the  latter,  in  attempt- 
ing to  return  to  Lake  Huron,  was  captured  by  the  Iroquois. 
He  repeatedly  ran  the  gauntlet,  had  his  finger-nails  torn 
out,  and  his  hands  and  body  otherwise  mutilated  by  the 
Mohawks.  The  Dutch  of  Albany,  hearing  of  his  captivity, 
raised  a  volunteer  fund,  and  sent  an  agent  to  redeem  him, 
but  the  Indians  would  not  let  him  go.  Having  visited 
Albany  with  his  captors,  he  escaped  to  a  vessel  in  the  river, 
and  the  Dutch  pacified  the  infuriated  Indians  for  their  loss, 
with  presents,  and  the  good  Father  was  sent  to  France. 
Here  he  was  received  at  Court,  and  the  Pope,  by  a  special 
dispensation,  authorized  him  to  say  mass,  notwithstanding 
his  hands  were  mutilated.  While  at  Albany,  he  wrote  in 
elegant  Latin  a  history  of  his  captivity,  and  of  New  Neth- 
erlands, and  sent  to  France,  which  was  afterwards  published. 
Having  returned  to  Canada,  and  a  temporary  peace  having 
been  made  with  the  Mohawks,  Father  Jogues,  in  1646, 


120  UPPEB  MISSISSIPPI.     , 

returned  to  the  Mohawks,  was  captured  on  the  way  thither 

by  a  war  party,  was  defended  by  the  Wolf  'band,  decreed 

his  liberty  by  the  general  council,  but  privately  assassinated 

by  some  of  the  Bear  band  the  same  night,  October  18, 1646. 

The  Iroquois  having  obtained  fire-arms  of  the  Dutch,  the 

war  between  them  and  the  allied  Hurons  and  Algonquins, 

inaugurated   by  Sieur  Champlain   as  early  as   1610,  now 

burst  upon  the  Huron  country  in   all  its  power,  and  the 

Hurons  and  missionaries  alike  fell  before  grim-visaged  war. 

From  1648  to  about  1652,  the  allied  Hurons  and  Algonquins 

were  driven  out  of  all  the  coasts  of  Lake  Huron,  and  a  part 

of  the  remnant  took  shelter  in  the  dense  and  tangled  forests 

of   northern   Wisconsin ;.    while   the   heroic   and   devoted 

Fathers  Brebeuf,  Lalamant,  Daniel,  and  Gamier,  with  many 

of  their  neophytes,  were  massacred  by  the  warlike  Iroquois. 

A  few  only  followed  the  surviving  priests  to  Quebec ;  but 

the  greater  part  of  those  populous  villages,  estimated  in 

1640  as  containing  16,000  inhabitants,  were  either  killed  or 

f  taken  prisoners.     The  most  of  the  prisoners  were  adopted 

I  into  the  families  of  the  Iroquois  as  slaves,  many  of  whom 

]  were  recognized  and  instructed  by  Catholic  priests  in  sub- 

'  sequent  years. 

Thus  nearly  perished  the  great  Huron  nation,  by  small- 
pox and  war,  which  calamities  were  directly  attributable  to 
— 1  their  contact  and  alliance  with  the  French.  For  a  time  the 
north-west  was  closed  against  both  Christianity  and  trade, 
but  as  events  progressed,  and  Iroquois  war  parties  dimin- 
ished, flotillas  of  Indian  canoes  began  to  reach  the  trading- 
posts  near  Quebec  by  the  north  shore  of  Lake  Huron,  and 
the  Ottawa  river  from  the  distant  shores  of  Lakes  Michigan 
and  Superior.  The  missionaries  sought  the  first  opportunity 
to  return  with  the  Indians  to  their  distant  homes,  and  that 
opportunity  oifered  in  1656.  The  Rev.  Fathers  Garreau  and 
Druilletes,  with  a  party  of  traders,  left  with  the  Indians  for 
the  north-west.  The  brutality  of  the  Indians  induced  the 
traders  to  leave  the  expedition  at  the  Three  Rivers  j  but  the 


THE  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS.  121 

bold  missionaries  having  gone  on,  the  expedition  was  soon 
after  attacked  by  a  war  party  of  the  Iroquois,  and  the  good 
Father  Garreau  mortally  wounded  and  taken  prisoner ;  and 
Father  Druilletes,  having  been  abandoned  by  the  Ottawas, 
returned  to  Quebec. 

Time  chafed  the  pious  hearts  of  the  missionaries  until 
1660,  when  sixty  canoes  arrived  from  the  far-off'  Superior, 
and  volunteers  hastened  to  return  with  the  Indians  to  their 
homes.  Two  good  Fathers  left  with  the  returning  expedi- 
dion,  but  one  abandoned  it  at  Montreal,  having  been  turned 
out  of  the  canoe  by  the  "fantastic  humor  of  one  of  the 
savages,"  but  the  other,  Rev.  Father  Rene"  Me'nard,  one  of 
the  survivors  of  the  old  Huron  mission,  was  suffered  to 
proceed.  Writing  to  his  superior  under  date  of  August  27, 
1660,  Father  Me'nard  said:  "In  three  or  four  months  you 

/may  place  me  to  the  memory  of J;he  dead,  as  a  consequence 
of  the  manner  of  life  of  these  people,  my  age,  and  feeble 
constitution ;  notwithstanding  which,  I  have  felt  such  pow- 
erful instincts,  and  I  have  seen  in  this  business  so  little  of 
nature,  that  I  can  not  doubt  that  having  failed  to  take 
advantage  of  this  occasion,  I  should  feel  therefor  an  eternal 

y\    remorse." 

\  The  expedition  took  the  usual  route  up  the  Ottawa  river, 
thence  to  the  Georgian  bay,  and  along  the  north  shore  of 
Lake  Huron  to  St.  Mary,  and  thence  along  the  south  shore 
of  Lake  Superior  to  the  Kewenaw  bay,  called  by  him  St. 
Theresea  Bay,  where  he  arrived,  October  15,  1660,  after  a 
long  and  fatiguing  voyage  of  nearly  seven  weeks,  in  a  bark 
canoe.  Here  for  a  time  he  was  permitted  to  lodge  with 
Pike,  the  chief  of  the  band,  but  having  offended  the  proud 
chief,  he  was  turned  out,  and  forced  to  construct  a  cabin  of 
pine  boughs,  in  which  he  spent  the  winter,  and  nearly  \ 
perished  with  cold  and  hunger ;  and  sustained  life  with 
pounded  fish-bones  and  boiled  moss. 

Learning  that  a  remnant  of  the  Hurons,  his  old  acquaint- 
ances and  friends,  were  located  on  the  Black  river  in  Wis- 
8* 


\ 


J-VTI\A-»VJ      y  w  v  c/W«»CA-{>f 
122  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

consin,  he  resolved  to  visit  them  at  all  hazards  ;  and  June 
13,  1661,  he  set  out  with  one  Frenchman  and  some  Huron 
guides  to  visit  them.  They  passed  the  iron  and  copper 
mountains  of  the  northern  peninsula  of  Michigan,  the  barren 
regions  of  the  head  waters  of  the  Wisconsin  river,  and 
reached  a  small  lake  at  the  head  of  Black  river.  Here  the 
Huron  guides  left  the  Father  and  went  forward,  promising 
to  send  back  assistance.  He  remained  fifteen  days,  and  as 
provisions  failed  and  no  help  came,  they  found  a  canoe  hid 
in  the  brushwood,  and  started  down  the  river.  The  low 
stage  of  water,  and  the  interminable  rapids  between  Rock 
creek  and  Black  river  falls,  made  the  navigation  very 
tedious.  At  the  last  important  rapid,  which  was  probably 
the  latter  falls,  the  Father  passed  round  on  the  bank 
through  thick  pines,  while  the  assistant  Frenchman  took  the 
canoe  over  the  falls;  after  which,  looking  round  for  the 
Father,  he  was  not  in  sight.  Guns  were  fired,  but  he 
responded  not,  and  was  never  afterwards  heard  from.  Thus 
ended  the  life  of  the  good  Me"nard,  about  the  10th  of  August, 
after  twenty-one  years  of  missionary  life  among  the  Indians 
of  North  America.  The  following  year  some  savages  found 
his  sack,  and  some  of  the  furniture  used  in  his  chapel  was 
seen  in  an  Indian  wigwam ;  but  none  of  them  would  ever 
acknowledge  that  they  had  seen  his  body,  and  it  is  very 
probable  that  he  became  bewildered  in  the  thick  pines,  and 
wandering  off,  was  devoured  by  the  wolves  or  other  wild 
beasts. 

For  four  years  subsequent  to  the  loss  of  Me'nard,  the 
north-west  echoed  to  no  Christian  song ;  but  Christianity 
lives  although  its  disciples  perish,  and  1665  found  the  Rev. 
Father  Claude  Allouez  impatiently  waiting  at  the  "  Three 
Rivers,"  for  an  opportunity  to  follow  the  example  of  his 
predecessor,  and  plant  again  the  standard  of  the  cross  on 
the  inhospitable  shores  of  the  far-off  Lake  Superior.  July 
20th,  after  the  pious  father  had  "  said  a  mass  devoted  to  this 
project,  in  honor  of  Saint  Ignatius  and  Saint  Xaviur,"  he 


THE  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS.  123 

was  greatly  delighted  at  the  arrival  of  a  trading  expedition 
of  savages  from  Lake  Superior ;  and  on  the  8th  of  the  fol- 
lowing month,  he  embarked  with  six  French  traders  and 
four  hundred  savages  for  the  west  end  of  the  lake,  where 
they  arrived  at  the  great  village  of  the  Hurons  and  Algon- 
quins,  at  the  head  of  Chagouamigong  bay,  October  1st, 
1665.  Here  he  opened  his  mission  and  erected  his  chapel. 
Subsequently,  he  established  other  missions  along  the  lake, 
and  spent  a  month  with  the  Chippeways  at  St.  Mary,  at  the 
outlet- of  Lake  Superior. 

In  1667  Father  Allouez  visited  Quebec,  tarried  two  days 
only,  and  returned  to  Lake  Superior  with  Rev.  Father  Louis 
Nicholas,  an  assistant.  The  latter  soon  returned  to  Canada, 
and  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Father  James  Marquette  and 
Le  Boesine,  who  came  out  in  April,  1668,  and  were  followed 
in  the  summer  of  1669  by  Rev.  Claudius  Dablon,  as  superior 
of  the  missions,  who  united  his  labors  with  Marquette  in 
the  work  at  Sault  St.  Mary.  In  September,  Marquette 
relieved  Allouez  at  Chagouamigong,  at  the  mission  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  and  the  latter  returned  to  St.  Mary. 

At  the  urgent  request  of  some  Potowatomies,  who  had 
got  into  difficulty  with  some  French  traders  at  Green  Bay, 
the  Rev.  Father  Allouez,  left  Sault  St.  Mary  for  the  Bay,  to 
establish  a  new  mission.  With  two  French  companions 
and  two  canoes  of  Potowatomies,  he  set  out  on  the  3rd  of 
November,  1669,  and  after  a  perilous  voyage,  by  reason  of 
the  lateness  of  the  season,  reached  the  traders,  at  the  mouth 
of  Fox  river,  December  2nd,  on  the  eve  of  St.  Francis 
Xavier.  The  next  day  he  celebrated  mass,  at  which  six 
Frenchmen  at  the  Bay  joined  in  the  devotions  with  the 
father  and  his  two  companions. 

During  the  winter  and  the  following  spring,  he  estab- 
lished the  mission  of  St.  Francis  Xavier,  near  the  mouth  of 
Fox  river,  and  visited  and  instructed  the  Winnebagoes, 
Menominies,  Potowatomies,  Sacs,  Foxes,  Miamis,  Mas- 
cotens,  Kitchigamicks,  and  Kickapoos,  who  then  inhabited 


124  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

the  region  around  Green  Bay,  and  the  Fox  and  "Wisconsin 
rivers.  Indeed,  the  father  went  down  the  Wisconsin  to 
within  a  few  miles  of  the  Mississippi.  On  the  20th  of  May, 
1670,  the  father  left  the  Bay,  with  one  Frenchman,  and 
returned  to  St.  Mary.  This  summer  the  Rev.  Fathers 
Gabriel,  Druilletes,  and  Louis  Andre,  were  added  to  the 
mission  of  the  north-west. 

In  the  spring  of  1671  the  Hurons  and  Algonquins,  at  the 
mission  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  having  provoked  a  war  with  the 
Sioux,  the  latter  nation  sent  back  to  Marquette  the  presents 
they  had  received  from  him,  and  declared  war  against  the 
allied  tribes.  The  consequence  was,  those  tribes  all  left  the 
country  with  Marquette,  and  the  Hurons  pitched  their  wig- 
wams on  the  Island  of  Mackinaw,  and  Marquette  estab- 
lished the  mission  of  St.  Ignatius  opposite  the  island,  to  the 
west  on  the  mainland.  The  Algonquin  nations  generally 
stopped  on  the  Manitoulin  island  of  Lake  Huron,  where 
they  came  under  the  care  of  Father  Andre". 

September,  1670,  found  Allouez  and  his  superior,  Dablon, 
on  their  way  to  visit  the  nations  along  Green  Bay  and  the 
Fox  and  Wisconsin  rivers.  After  this  task  was  performed, 
Father  Dablon,  the  same  fall,  returned  to  Quebec,  where 
he  had  been  appointed  superior  of  all  the  Canada  missions, 
and  was  succeeded,  as  superior  of  the  north-western  mis- 
sions, by  Rev.  Father  Henri  Nouvel.  Andr£  was  dispatched 
toGreen  Bay,  to  the  assistance  of  Allouez. 
ClAJUWlJune,  1673,  Jolliet,  with  Father  James  Marquette, 
were  dispatched  by  the  authorities  of  Canada  to  discover 
and  explore  the  upper  Mississippi,  which  they  reached  by 
the  Wisconsin  river,  June  17th,  1673.  They  then  proceeded 
down  the  river  as  far  as  Arkansas,  after  which  they  returned 
by  the  Illinois  river  and  Lake  Michigan  to  Green  Bay, 
where  they  ai'rived  the  last  of  September  of  the  same  year. 
During  the  absence  of  Marquette,  he  had  visited  the  Indians 
at  Kaskaskia,  and  promised  to  return  and  establish  a  mis- 
sion among  them;  but,  unfortunately,  during  his  journey 


THE  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS.  125 

he  had  contracted  chronic  diarrhoea,  a  disease  which  proved 
fatal  to  so  many  of  our  soldiers  in  the  late  rebellion,  and 
was  confined  at  Green  Bay  with  this  disease  all  the  summer 
of  1674. 

Late  in  the  fall,  his  disease  abating,  he  attempted  to  return 
to  Kaskaskia,  but  was  compelled,  by  the  revival^  of  his 
illness,  to  spend  the  winter  near  Chicago,  and  only  reached 
the  tribe  the  following  spring,  the  8th  of  April.  Although 
very  weak,  he  set  vigorously  at  work  in  instructing  the 
Indians,  and  named  the  mission  the  "  Immaculate  Concep- 
tion of  the  Blessed  Virgin."  On  Easter  Sunday  he  cele- 
brated the  mass  in  presence  of  the  whole  tribe,  and  soon  after 
left  to  return  to  Mackinaw.  He  soon  became  so  weak  that 
he  could  not  help  himself,  and  finally  died,  and  was  buried 
by  his  kind  companions  on  the  eastern  shore  of  Lake 
Michigan.  His  bones  were  subsequently  removed  to  Mack- 
inaw. Father  Marquette  was  evidently  one  of  the  best  of 
men,  and  his  memory  will  be  ever  fresh  as  long  as  civiliza- 
tion exists  in  the  Mississippi  valley. 

The  Illinois  mission  having  become  vacant  by  the  death 
of  Marquette,  the  Rev.  Father  Allouez  was  assigned  to  that 
post.  He  left  Green  Bay  the  last  of  October,  1676,  to  go 
by  way  of  Lake  Michigan,  but  winter  having  set  in  imme- 
diately, they  tarried  by  the  way  until  February,  when  the 
ice  became  strong.  They  then  put  their  canoe  on  the  ice, 
and,  raising  sails,  made  progress  down  the  bay  and  into  a 
small  bay  that  led  to  a  portage  to  Lake  Michigan.  On  the 
23rd  of  March,  1677,  they  embarked  on  the  latter  lake,  and 
reached  the  Kaskaskia  village,  near  Peoria,  April  27th. 
Here  he  found  a  large  village  of  three  hundred  and  fifty 
cabins,  and  eight  different*  tribes  of  the  Illinois ;  the  Kas- 
kaskias  having  called  in  the  dispersed  tribes  which  had  been 
scattered  by  the  Iroquois  war. 

The  good  father  baptized  thirty-five  children  and  one 
adult,  and  on  the  3rd  of  May,  "  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ," 
took  possession  of  ah1  the  tribes,  and,  a  few  days  after, 


126  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

returned  north.  He  visited  them  again  in  1673,  and  re- 
mained two  years,  but  abandoned  the  mission  on  the  arrival 
of  La  Salle,  a  personal  enemy  of  the  Jesuits. 

Sieur  La  Salle  reached  the  Indian  village  on  the  Illinois 
river  in  January,  1680,  with  three  Recollect  priests,  and 
built  a  fort.  In  the  spring  he  returned  to  Canada  for  sup- 
plies ;  and  in  September  of  the  same  year  the  Illinois 
Indians  were  attacked  by  the  Iroquois,  and  the  little  French 
colony  fled  for  Mackinaw. 

One  of  the  priests,  Father  Gabriel,  was  killed  by  a  strag- 
gling war  party  of  Kickapoos ;  one,  Membra",  reached  the 
north  safe,  and  one,  Hennepin,  having  been  dispatched  to 
explore  the  upper  Mississippi,  also  returned  in  safety  to 
Green  Bay,  after  a  short  captivity  among  the  Sioux.  La 
Salle  and  Father  Membr^  returned  to  the  Illinois  in  January, 
1682,  and  from  thence  proceeded  on  their  way  for  the 
exploration  of  the  lower  Mississippi. 

Hitherto,  the  missions  in  the  north-west  had  been  com- 
paratively successful,  but  they  at  last  began  to  feel  the 
effects  of  the  sale  of  brandy  to  the  Indians,  which  was 
destroying  them  with  great  rapidity  in  the  region  of  Mon- 
treal and  Quebec.  Previous  to  1662,  the  Jesuit  priests  had 
proscribed  the  sale  of  intoxicating  liquors  to  the  Indians,  on 
pain  of  excommunication,  and  had  thereby  nearly  destroyed 
its  sale ;  but  about  this  time  the  Governor  of  Canada  inter- 
fered, and  granted  licenses.  The  Jesuits  complained  to  the 
king,  and  the  governor  was  removed  in  1663.  His  suc- 
cessor, Sieur  De  Mezy,  being  distasteful  to  all  parties,  was 
continued  in  office  but  a  few  months,  and  was  succeeded  by 
Marquis  De  Talon,  as  viceroy,  who  took  possession  of  the 
government  of  Canada  in  1665. 

The  minister  in  France,  in  his  instructions  to  De  Talon, 
dated  November  15th,  1664,  speaking  of  the  prohibition  of 
the  sale  of  brandy  by  the  Jesuits,  remarked :  "  This  is 
doubtless  a  good  principle,  but  one  which  is  very  ruinous  to 
trade,  because  the  Indians  being  passionately  fond  of  these 


THE  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS.  127 

liquors^ instead  of  coming  to  trade  their  peltries  with  us,  go 
trade  them  among  the  Dutch,  who  supply  them  with 
brandy.  This  also  is  disadvantageous  to  religion.  Having 
wherewith  to  gratify  their  appetites,  they  allow  themselves 
to  be  catechised  by  the  Dutch  ministers,  who  instruct  them 
in  heresy.  The  said  Bishop  of  Petrie  and  the  Jesuit  Fathers 
persist  in  their  first  opinions,  without  reflecting  that  pru- 
dence, and  even  Christian  charity,  inculcate  closing  the  eyes 
to  one  evil  to  avoid  a  greater,  or  to  reap  a  good  more  im- 
portant than  the  evil."  According  to  these  views,  M. 
Talon,  the  minister  of  justice  in  Canada,  wrote  M.  Colbert, 
the  king's  secretary,  November,  1666,  that  he  had  ordered 
to  the  Indians,  "  among  the  rest,  the  use  of  liquor,  which/ 
has  been  prohibited  them  up  to  this  time." 

In  1668,  the  Rev.  Father  Pierron,  a  Jesuit  missionary 
among  the  Mohawks,  backed  by  the  chiefs  of  the  tribe, 
petitioned  the  Governor  of  New  York  for  the  suppression 
of  the  sale  of  intoxicating  liquors  to  the  Indians.  The 
Governor,  by  letter  of  November  18th,  1668,  acknowledged 
"  the  vast  amount  of  liquors  that  some  of  Albany  take  the 
liberty  to  sell  to  the  Indians,  causing  them  thereby  to 
commit  excessive  disorders,"  and  declared  that  he  had 
"  adopted  every  possible  precaution,  and  shall  continue,  * 
by  very  certain  fines,  to  restrain  and  prevent  the  supplying 
the  Indians  with  any  excess."  These  efforts  to  prevent 
"  excess "  in  the  sale  of  liquor'  to  Indians,  amounted  to 
nothing  definite. 

The  Jesuits  of  Canada  still  used  ah1  the  means  in  their 
power  to  suppress  the  traffic,  and  prevented  all  the  inter- 
course possible  with  the  Christian  tribes  near  Quebec  and 
Montreal,  and  finally,  in  1679,  they  procured  an  edict  from 
the  king,  which  afforded  them  some  temporary  assistance ; 
but  the  governor  and  officials,  more  or  less  connected  with 
the  trade,  neglected  to  enforce  the  edict,  and  brandy  still 
composed  a  large  item  in  every  trader's  outfit. 

In  1716,  Rev.  Father  Lafitan  presented  a  petition  to  the 


128  TIPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

Canadian  council,  for  the  abolition  of  the  brandy  trade,  in 
•which,  among  other  things,  he  stated  that,  "  When  the  peo- 
ple (Indians),  are  intoxicated,  they  become  so  furious  that 
they  break  and  destroy  every  thing  belonging  to  their 
household;  cry  and  howl  terribly,  and  go  in  quest,  like 
mad  men,  of  their  enemies,  to  poignard  them ;  their  rela- 
tives and  friends  are  not  at  these  times  safe  from  their  rage, 
and  they  gnaw  even  their  own  noses  and  ears. 

"  Disunion  and  the  dissolution  of  their  marriages  are 
always  the  result  of  their  debaucheries,  in  consequence  of 
the  sorrow  and  despair  experienced  by  their  wives  on  be- 
holding themselves  robbed  by  their  drunken  husbands,  who 
strip  them  of  every  thing  in  order  to  obtain  drink,  and  the 
products  of  the  chase,  even,  which  belong  to  them,  are  taken 
away  from  their  husbands  by  their  creditors  before  arriving 
at  their  village. 

"  These  Indians,  loaded  with  debt  and  despoiled  by  their 
creditors,  who  do  not  leave  them  even  their  guns,  are  often 
obliged  to  abandon  the  country  and  go  over  to  the  English", 
despairing  of  being  able  to  pay  their  debts. 

"  Several  of  their  tribes  have  been  almost  wholly  de- 
stroyed by  brandy,  particularly  the  Algonquin  nation." 

In  answer  to  this  petition,  the  Canadian  council  "All 
agree  as  to  the  inconvenience  of  the  trade  in  brandy,  but  at 
the  same  time  it  is  necessary."  So  they  refused  to  prohibit  it. 

In  October,  1729,  the  Governor  of  Canada  writes  the 
king  that  "  The  toleration  his  Majesty  is  pleased  to  enter- 
tain in  favor  of  the  distribution  of  brandy  to  the  Indians,  is 
so  much  the  more  necessary,  as  that  liquor  is  the  sole 
allurement  that  could  attract  and  preserve  them  to  us,  and 
deprive  them  of  all  inducements  to  go  to  the  English." 
Finally,  in  a  dispatch  from  the  King  of  France,  of  May  8, 
1731,  to  the  Governor  of  Canada,  the  king  says  that  he  has 
"  Been  pleased  to  see  that  Sieur  Hocquart  does  not  perceive 
any  impropriety  in  his  Majesty  tolerating  the  distribution  of 
brandy  to  the  Indians." 


THE  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS.  129 

The  great  success  of  the  early  Jesuit  missions  in  the 
north-west,  indicated  an  almost  certainty  of  the  conversion 
of  the  north-western  tribes  to  Christianity ;  but  this  success 
raised  a  rivalry  and  hostility  that  ultimately  proved  their 
ruin.  Count' De  Frontenac,  the  Governor  of  Canada,  com- 
menced hostilities  on  the  Jesuits  at  an  early  date,  and  in  his 
dispatch  to  the  king,  November  2nd,  1672,  he  remarked  that, 
"  To  speak  frankly  to  you,  they  think  as  much  about  the 
conversion  of  the  beaver,  as  of  souls ;  for  the  majority  of 
their  missions  are  pure  mockeries,  and  I  should  not  think 
they  ought  to  be  permitted  to  extend  them  further  until  we 
see  some  where  a  better  formed  church  of  those  savages." 

The  enemies  of  the  Jesuits  had  previously  brought  into 

,w  Canada  several  of  the  Recollect  priests,  who  had  established 

a  monastery.     Sieur  La  Salle,   a   particular  friend  of  the 

Governor,  was  also  an  enemy  of  the  Jesuits,  and  took  with 

him  Recollect  pi'iests  to  the  mission  of  Illinois. 

The  hostility  to  the  Jesuits  was  severely  felt  by  the 
society,  and  they  appealed  to  the  king  for  leave  to  continue 
their  noi'th-western  mission.  The  king,  by  M.  Colbert, 
wrote  to  Governor  De  Frontenac  as  follows,  May  17th,  1674  : 
"As  to  the  request  of  the  Jesuits,  made  to  continue  their 
missions  hi  the  far  countiies,  his  majesty  thinks  'twould  be 
more  advantageous,  both  for  the  religion,  and  his  service,  if 
they  attended  to  those  more  near,  and  whilst  converting  the 
Indians,  led  them  to  civilized  society,  and  to  abandon  their 
manner  of  living,  in  which  they  can  never  become  good 
Christians.  His  majesty,  however,  does  not  pretend  that 
these  good  Fathers  be  in  any  wise  circumscribed  in  their 
functions.  He  merely  desires  that  you  would  communicate 
to  them,  and  gently  encourage  them  to  second  his  majesty's 
views." 

These  views  were  communicated  to  the  Jesuits  by  the 

Governor,    and   November   14th,    of  the   same   year,   the 

Governor   wrote   M.  Colbert  that   the  former   "Declared 

to   me  that  they  were  here   only  to  endeavor  to  instruct 

9 


130  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

the  Indians,  or  rather,  to  get  beaver,  and  not  to  be  parish 
priests  to  the  French."  The  Governor  then  urges  the  send- 
ing of  more  Recollects.  But  the  opposition  to  the  Jesuits 
thus  early  manifested,  although  it  must  have  embarrassed 
them,  yet  did  not  stop  their  eiforts  to  convert  the  north- 
west. When  La  Salle  went  down  the  Mississippi  in  1684, 
Rev.  Father  Allouez,  with  Father  Durantaye  as  an  assistant, 
again  took  possession  of  his  Illinois  mission,  and  when  the 
survivors  of  La  Salle's  expedition  returned  in  1687,  and 
reported  La  Salle  also  returning,  Allouez  retired  to  Green 
Bay.  After  that  the  good  Father  opened  a  mission  at  St. 
Josephs,  where  he  died  in  August,  1690. 

The  success  which  at  first  had  crowned  the  efforts  of  the 
missionaries  under  this  opposition  of  the  government,  brandy, 
and  the  traders  began  to  wane,  and  in  a  few  years  a  few  con- 
verts at  each  station  was  all  there  were  left  to  encourage  the 
despairing  missionaries ;  and  when  the  French  surrendered 
Canada  in  1760,  there  were  probably  but  two  missionaries 
west  of  Detroit;  and  the  suppression  of  the  Jesuits  in  1763 
by  the  king  of  France,  it  is  said,  left  the  north-west  desti- 
tute of  a  resident  Catholic  priest  for  more  than  thirty  years 
subsequent  to  that  date.  Indeed,  as  early  as  1721,  when 
the  north-west  was  visited  by  Charlevoix,  the  missions  had 
BO  far  waned  that  he  wrote :  "  The  fathers  are  not  much 
employed,  having  never  found  any  great  docility  among 
the  Ottawas." 

Mr.  Shea,  in  his  history  of  the  Catholic  missions  in  North 
America,  has  compiled  the  following  tables  of  the  names  of 
the  missionaries  to  the  Hurons,  Ottawas,  and  Illinois,  which 
probably  contain  some  errors,  but  are  as  near  the  truth  as 
can  be  attained  at  the  present  day : 


THE  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS. 


131 


LIST  OF  MISSIONARIES. 


HURON  MISSIONARIES. 


MISSIONARIES. 

ARRIVED. 

ON   MISSION. 

DIED. 

May  25,  1615.. 
June,  1819  
June  23,  1623  . 
June  28,  1623  . 

1025  .  . 

1615-16,  1623-24  .  . 
1622 
1623-25  .,  
162=3-24  
1620-28.... 
1626-9,  34-41,  44-9 
16-26-27  

1632 

k.  July,  1625 
left  in  1624 
left  in  1629 
k.  Mar.  16,  1649 
frozenFeb.  1,1646 
k.  July  4,  1648 
d.  at  sea  in  1643 
left  after  1670 
left  in  1650 
k.  Dec.  7,  1649 
d.  Aug.  14,  1683 
k.  Oct.  18,  1646 
left  Sept.,  1666 
d.  Jan.  26,  1673 
d.  Nov.  24,  1665 
d.  Nov.  10,  1665 
d.  Feb.  21,  1693 

d.  Oct.  -22,  1642 
d.  after  1668 
k.  Aug.  1601 
k.  Sept.  1566 
k.  Dec.  8,  1649 
left  Nov.  2,  1«50 
k.  Mar.  17,  1649 
left  in  1650 
left  in  1650 
died  in  China 

2  William  Poulain,  Kec  
3  Nicholas  Viel    Rec  

4  Theodat  Sagard,  L.  B  

6  John  de  Brebeuf  S.  J  

June  19,  1625. 
July  14,  1626  . 
June  24,  1633. 
June  24,  1633. 
July  20,  1635  . 
July  10,  1635  . 
June  11,  1636. 
June  11,  1636. 
July  2,  1636  .. 
June  28,  1636. 
Aug.  26,  1638. 
1683  
1638 

1634-36,  1638-48  .  . 
1634-36  

10  Francis  Lemercier  
11  Peter  Pijart  

1685-50  

1635-44  ... 

12  Charles  Gamier    

1636-49 

13  Peter  Chastellain  

1086-50  

14  Isaac  Jogues  
15  Paul  Ragueneau  

1636-42  

1637-40,  1641-50  .  . 
1638-45  

17  Simon  le  Moyne  

1638-50  ?  

K538-41 

19  P.  J.  M.  Chaumonot  
20  Joseph  A.  Poncet  

Aug.  1,  1639.. 
Aug.  1,  1(539.. 

1639-50  

1639-40,  1645-50 
1040-42  

21  Charles  Raymbaut  
22  Claude  Pijart  

1637  
July  14,  1637  . 
July  8,  1640  .. 

1640-50  

23  Rene  Menard  

1641-50  

24  Leonard  Garreau  

Aug.  15,  1613. 
Aug.  15,  1(543. 
1042  

1644-50  

25  Natalis  Chabanel  

1644-49  

26  Franc.  J.  Bressani  

1645-49  

27  Gabriel  Lalemant  

Sept.  20,  1646. 
Aug.  6,  1640.. 
Aug.  14,  1647. 
Aug.  14,  1647. 

1648-49  

28  Adrian  Daran  
29  James  Bonin  

1648-50  

164S-50  

30  Adrian  Grelon... 

1648-50... 

OTTAWA  MISSIONARIES. 


MISSIONARIES. 

ARRIVED. 

TIME   ON   MISSION. 

1  Isaac  Jouges,  S.  J  

July  2,  1636  .  . 

1642  

2  Charles  Raymbaut  

1637  
July  8,  1640  .. 

642  
1600-61  

July  11,  1658  . 

1605-89  

5  Louis  Nicholas  

May  25,  1663  . 

1667-68 

Sept.  20,  1666. 

1668-75  

7  Claude  Dablon  
8  Louis  Andre  

1655  

1668-71 
1669-79* 

9  Gabriel  Druillettes  

Aug.  15,  1643. 

1669-80  

10  Henry  Nouvel  

Aug.  4,  1662.. 

1671-1700* 

11  Charles  Albanel  

Aug.  23,  1649  . 

1678-88* 

June  25,  1647. 

1675-88* 

13  Philip  Pierson  

Sept.  25,  1667. 

1675-81* 

14  Anthonv  Silvv.  .  . 

1676-78* 

k.  Oct.  1(546 
Oct.  22,  1642 
k.  Aug.  1661 
about  Aug.  1690 

d.  May  19,  1675 
d.  April  8, 1681 


UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 


OTTAWA  MISSIONARIES— (continued). 


MISSIONARIES. 

ARRIYKD. 

TIME   ON   MISSION. 

DIED. 

1676-79* 

1  678-88* 

17  Nicholas  Potier  

16    -84 

1688f     .  . 

1706 

168St  1703* 

20  Stephen  de  Carheil  
21  James  Joseph  Marest  

Aug.  6,  1666.. 

16S8-M703*  
1700-M712* 

July,  1726 

22  J.  B.  Chardon  

1721  22 

24  Peter  M.  Guignas  

1728-30 

25  0.  M.  Messaiger  

1724 

26  J.  B.  Larnorinie  

1749-50 

27  Justinian  la  Uichardie  

28  Marin  Louis  Lefranc  

till  1764 

29  Pierre  Dujaunay  

1764 

80  Peter  Potier.  .  . 

1751-f-Sl... 

d.  July  16.  1781 

*  And  perhaps  later. 


t  And  perhaps  earlier. 


ILLINOIS  MISSIONARIES. 


MISSIONARIES. 

ARRIVED. 

WHEN    IN   ILLINOIS. 

BIRD. 

1  James  Marquette,  S.  J  

Sept.  20,  1666. 
July  11,  1658  . 
Aug.  1670  
June,  1675..  .. 
June  16,  1672? 
Oct.  13,  1689  . 

1673-75    

1677,  1679-87  
1680  
1680  
16S7-1706  

May  19,  1075 
about  Aug.  1690 
k.  Sept.  19,  16SO 
k.  l(Wt>-7 
k.  about  1706 
k.  Aug.  23,  1724 
d.  before  1712 

d.  before  1711 
d.  1742 

d.  April  4,  1731 

d.  April  17,  1752 

k.  1730 
d.  after  Aug.  1750 

d.  after  1768 

8  Gabriel  de  la  Kibourde,  Rec  .  .  . 
4  Zenobius  Membre  

1001-92  

1700   1703      

8  Gabriel  Marest  

1700,  1703,  1712 
1700,  1703.  1712 
1700  

1700 
1700 
1700,  1703,  1721 
1700,  1707,  1710 
1712 
1712-18?  

13  John  B   Chardon     

14  John  Bergier,  Priest  of  F.M..  .. 

15  Louis  Mary  de  Ville    S.  J  

16  Dominic  Mary  Varlet,  F.M  

1721 
1721 
1721 
1721 
1719  

18    —      dc  Kercben 

21  G.  Calvarin,  F.  M  

22  D.  A.  R.  Taumur  de  la  Source,  ) 
P.M.  ,ord.  Feb.  1717  j 

1721  

1721  

1730     .. 

23  John  le  Mercier,  F.  M.;  ord.  ) 
May,  1718  j 

24  Senat,  S.  J  

1760 

26  A.  F.  X.  de  Guyenne  

1750 
1727 
1727 
1727-46 
1750 
1750  

27  Doutreleau   

28  Dumas  

1727  
1727  

30  Vattrin  

81  Sebast.  L.  Meurin   

82  Claude  F.  Virot  

on  Ohio  in  1757 
1763 

88  Julian  Duvernav  .  .  . 

THE  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS.  133 

The  successful  close  of  our  American  revolution,  and  the 
adoption  of  our  constitution  having  established  the  freedom 
of  conscience  and  emancipated  the  worship  of  God  from 
the  control  of  political  power,  a  fruitful  field  was  opened  to 
the  hundreds  of  Catholic  priests,  who  had  fled  from  France 
at  the  breaking  out  of  the  Jacobin  revolution  in  that 
country.  Arriving  in  this  country,  they  naturally  turned 
their  attention  to  the  villages  of  the  old  French  and  half- 
breeds  of  the  Mississippi  valley  and  Canada;  and,  at  an 
early  date,  Rev.  Father  Gabriel  Richard,  a  Sulpician,  estab- 
lished himself  at  Detroit,  who,  in  1Y99,  visited  the  Ottawas 
at  Arbre  Croche,  where  he  found  one  Indian  seventy-five 
years  old,  who  had  been  baptized,  probably  by  Du  Jaunay, 
the  last  of  the  old  Mackinaw  missionaries.  This  Indian  and 
a  few  traditions  were  all  that  was  left,  so  far  as  could  be 
ascertained,  of  the  several  flourishing  missions  that  in  the 
olden  time  had  existed  along  the  shores  of  Lake  Huron. 

Several  years  passed  before  the  Ottawas  of  Arbre  Croche 
received  another  visit  from  a  Catholic  priest ;  but  the  Epis- 
copal see  of  Cincinnati  having  been  erected,  and  Michigan 
attached  to  it,  it  was  determined  that  the  Ottawas  of  that 
locality  should  have  a  priest,  and  Father  Richard  was  sent 
in  1821  to  visit  them  again.  Again  the  Indians  asked  for 
a  priest,  and  in  July,  1825,  Rev.  J.  V.  Badin  visited  Arbre 
Croche,  Drurnmond  island,  Mackinaw,  Sault  St.  Mary's,  and 
Green  Bay.  In  1826,  Father  Richard  induced  the  secretary 
of  war  to  pay  two-thirds  the  expense  of  buildings,  and  twenty 
dollars  per  scholar  instructed,  and  by  this  pecuniary  assist- 
ance, was  enabled  to  establish  a  regular  mission  and  school 
at  Arbre  Croche,  which  was  opened  the  following  year, 
under  the  charge  of  Rev.  Father  De  Jean,  and  two  Catholic 
ladies  from  Mackinaw.  In  the  mean  time,  Assaguinac,  an 
educated  Indian  from  Canada,  of  some  prominence,  settled 
at  Arbre  Croche,  who  catechized  the  Indians,  taught  them 
hymns,  and  thus  prepared  twenty-one  for  baptism  on  the 
arrival  of  De  Jean.  The  priest,  however,  did  not  remain 


134  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

there  permanently  until  1829.  In  1830  he  had  received  six 
hundred  into  the  church,  and  his  school  for  boys  and  girls 
contained  sixty-four  pupils.  As  a  consequence,  intoxication 
was  banished  from  the  village.  They  had  also  erected  a 
house,  forty-six  feet  long  and  twenty  wide,  for  their  school, 
and  a  church  fifty-four  by  thirty  feet.  The  complete  success 
of  this  mission  encouraged  the  Catholic  church  to  make  a 
systematic  effort  to  restore  the  missions  to  the  different 
Indian  tribes,  and  the  Chippeways,  Menominies,  Potowa- 
tomies,  and  Kickapoos,  along  the  lakes,  received  mission- 
aries, who  often  came  in  collision  with  Protestant  mission- 
aries, and  government  was  often  appealed  to  on  both  sides 
for  protection  and  assistance.  The  further  progress  of  the 
Indian  missions  will  be  noticed  when  speaking  of  individual 
tribes. 

The  most  prominent  of  the  present  Jesuit  missionaries,  in 
the  north-west,  is  Rev.  Father  De  Smet,  who  became  a 
missionary  to  the  Flatheads,  on  the  upper  Missouri,  in  1840. 
He  has  secured  a  commanding  influence  with  the  nations  in 
that  region,  and  in  1865  was  employed  by  the  government 
to  assist  in  making  a  peace  with  the  warlike  Sioux.  He 
makes  his  head-quarters  at  St.  Louis,  and  is  the  author  of 
several  books  on  the  Indian  tribes. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


THE    PROTESTANT    MISSIONS. 

THE  true  formula  for  the  conversion  of  the  Indians  to 
Christianity,  was  successfully  followed  by  the  good  and 
pious  Elliot  of  Massachusetts.  Having  been  settled  as  pas- 
tor of  the  church  in  Roxburyin  1632,  and  having  witnessed 
the  straggling  natives,  as  they  wandered  about,  trading 
some  moccasins  and  furs  for  food  and  rum,  his  love  for 
them  was  aroused  to  activity,  and  he  determined  in  the  true 
missionary  spirit,  to  strive  for  their  conversion  to  Christian- 
ity. Unlike  the  Catholic  priests  who  accompanied  the 
expeditions  of  Cortez  to  Mexico,  and  Pizarro  to  Peru,  who 
only  presented  the  alternative  of  the  sword  or  the  cross,  the 
good  Elliot  commenced  by  learning  the  Indian  language ; 
then  by  instructing  them  in  their  own-  language  in  the 
requisites  of  both  Christianity  and  civilization;  and  in  1654, 
after  a  labor  of  love  for  twenty-two  years,  gathered  his  first 
Indian  church  at  Natick.  The  following  year  he  had  com- 
pleted the  translation  of  the  New  Testament  into  the  Mohe- 
gan  dialect  of  the  Algonquin  language,  and  in  two  years 
after,  he  completed  the  translation  of  the  Old  Testament ; 
and  the  Indian  Bible  thus  translated,  was  the  first  Bible 
printed  in  America.  By  his  ardent  labors,  in  1674  he 
had  fourteen  praying  Indian  villages,  in  which  six  regular 
churches  were  formed. 

In  the  mean  time,  constant  aggressions  had  been  carried 
on  by  the  traders  and  settlers  against  the  uncivilized  Indians. 


136  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

The  great  chief,  Philip,  had  repeatedly  been  imprisoned  and 
robbed  of  his  territory ;  and  at  last,  goaded  to  desperation, 
the  bold  chief  summoned  his  warriors,  raised  his  tomahawk, 
and  in  1675  commenced  the  terrible  war  that  resulted  in  the 
extermination  of  the  most  of  the  Indians,  and  in  the  death 
of  over  six  hundred  whites.  After  the  war,  when  the  sor- 
rowing Elliot  sought  out  the  remnant  of  his  Indian  churches, 
which  had  cost  him  the  labor  of  forty-three  years,  he  found 
that  they  had  been  plundered  and  murdered  in  turn  by  both 
whites  and  Indians ;  and  that  four  bleeding  and  decimated 
villages  were  all  that  were  left  of  the  fourteen  before  the 
war. 

But  the  mantle  of  Elliot  seemed  to  fall  upon  David  Brain- 
ard.  Expelled  from  Yale  College  for  having  said  "  that 
one  of  the  tutors  was  as  devoid  of  grace  as  a  chair,"  he  was 
immediately  appointed  a  missionary  to  the  Indians,  by  a 
Scotch  missionary  society,  and  entered  upon  the  duties  of 
his  mission  in  the  spring  of  1742  among  the  Mohegans,  at 
Kau-na-meek,  between  Stockbridge  and  Albany.  After  a 
year's  labor  of  Brainard,  those  Indians  removed  to  Stock- 
bridge,  and  Brainard  turned  his  attention  to  the  Delawares 
of  Pennsylvania  and  New  Jersey.  Here  his  labors  were 
crowned  with  success ;  but  unfortunately  for  the  cause  of 
missions,  in  the  fall  of  1746,  from  his  arduous  labors  his 
health  failed,  and  in  the  following  spring  he  returned  to 
Massachusetts,  and  in  October,  died  in  the  family  of  Jona- 
than Edwards  at  Northampton.  About  this  time  several 
unsuccessful  attempts  were  made  to  establish  missions 
among  the  Indians.  Even  the  zealous  Charles  and  John 
Wesley,  failed  after  three  years'  efforts,  in  Georgia.  But  the 
indomitable  Moravians,  having,  like  the  Wesleys,  failed  in 
Georgia,  removed  to  Pennsylvania,  and  in  1740  opened  a 
mission  among  the  Delawares  on  the  Susquehanna.  This 
mission  for  a  time  proved  successful,  but  the  Pontiac  war 
aroused  the  anger  of  a  portion  of  the  whites,  who  deter- 
mined to  avenge  themselves  on  the  Christian  Indians.  To 


THE  PROTESTANT  MISSIONS.  137 

avoid  this  calamity,  Zeisberger,  the  leader  of  the  mission- 
aries, took  his  Indians  in  a  body  to  Philadelphia,  and  the 
governor  attempted  to  protect  them  by  placing  them  in  the 
common  prison.  Even  here  some  of  them  were  murdered. 
In  1767  Zeisberger  removed  a  band  of  Christian  Indians  to 
the  Allegheny  river,  and  three  years  after,  again  removed  to 
Beaver  creek  on  the  Ohio,  whgre  he  was  the  same  season 
joined  by  another  party  of  the  Delawares  from  the  Susque- 
hanna,  under  the  missionary  Heckewelder.  The  following 
year,  Zeisberger,  under  an  invitation  of  the  Delaware  chiefs, 
opened  another  mission  on  the  Muskingum  river,  where  he 
was  soon  joined  by  a  band  from  the  Susquehanna  of  two 
hundred  and  forty-one  persons.  Here,  in  the  depths  of  the 
forests  of  Ohio,  the  pious  missionaries  labored  with  great 
zeal  in  their  Master's  work,  and  successfully  overcame  the 
crisis  of  the  hostility  of  the  Pagan  Indians,  which  in  after 
years  proved  so  disastrous  to  the  Sioux.  But  successful  as 
they  wrere  against  the  Pagans,  many  of  them  finally  fell  a 
sacrifice  to  the  inhumanity  of  the  whites. 

The  war  of  the  revolution  having  arrayed  the  western 
Indians  on  the  side  of  Great  Britain,  the  fierce  Iroquois 
demanded  the  alliance  of  the  Delawares,  but  the  Christian 
Indians,  having  imbibed  the  peculiarities  of  the  Moravians, 
refused  to  fight.  This  greatly  exasperated  the  English  and 
their  Indian  allies,  and  in  the  summer  of  1781  the  Christian 
Indians  were  compelled  to  abandon  their  crops  and  their 
settlements  on  the  Muskingum,  and  remove  to  Sandusky. 
In  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  to  protect  themselves  from 
starvation  the  coming  winter,  they  sent  back  to  the  settle- 
ments on  the  Muskingum  a  party  of  ninety-eight  men, 
women,  and  children,  to  gather  their  abandoned  crops.  This 
party,  when  nearly  ready  to  return  to  Sandusky,  were 
secretly  surrounded  by  Colonel  Williamson,  with  about 
ninety  Americans  from  western  Pennsylvania,  who  dis- 
armed the  Indians,  and  murdered  ninety-six  of  them  in 
cold  blood.  Two  boys  alone  escaped  to  report  the  disas- 
9* 


138  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

trous  news  at  Sandusky.  This  success  of  Colonel  William- 
son and  his  party,  so  elated  them  and  their  friends  at  home, 
that  early  the  following  March  they  fitted  out  an  expedition 
of  nearly  five  hundred  men,  under  Colonels  Williamson  and 
Crawford,  who  marched  upon  Sandusky  with  the  view  of 
surprising  and  exterminating  the  balance  of  the  Christian 
Indians  at  that  place.  Learning  of  the  near  approach  of 
that  force,  the  hostile  Indians  about  Sandusky,  including  the 
Wyandots,  laid  in  ambush  for  the  American  party,  and 
attacked  and  cut  them  to  pieces.  Colonel  Crawford,  his 
son,  and  son-in-law,  were  taken  prisoners,  and  burned  at  the 
stake.  After  the  close  of  the  revolution,  and  in  1786,  the 
Christian  Indians  returned  to  Pennsylvania  and  to  the 
Muskingum,  and  Zeisberger  died  on  the  Muskingum  in 
1808,  aged  eighty-seven,  having  been  a  missionary  among 
the  Delawares  for  the  long  period  of  sixty-two  years.  From 
the  commencement  of  the  mission  to  1782,  the  missionaries 
baptized  seven  hundred  and  twenty  Indian  converts.  Heck- 
ewelder  returned  to  Pennsylvania,  where  he  wrote  a  history 
of  the  mission,  and  some  other  books  relating  to  the 
Indians,  and  finally  died  at  Bethlehem,  Pennsylvania,  in 
1823.  With  those  two  distinguished  missionaries,  probably 
terminated  the  Moravian  missions  among  the  Delawares,  as 
that  tribe  in  subsequent  years  do  not  appear  to  have  had 
any  Moravian  teachers. 

From  the  commencement  of  the  revolution  to  the  close  of 
the  war  of  1812,  the  north-west  was  in  an  unsettled  condi- 
tion, by  reason  of  the  refusal  of  the  British  to  deliver  up  to 
the  Americans  their  surrendered  posts,  and  the  constant 
intrigues  of  English  traders  among  the  Indians  to  keep  the 
latter  in  the  condition  of  war  against  the  United  States ; 
but  the  triumphant  close  of  the  war  with  Great  Britain  by 
the  great  victory  at  New  Orleans,  January  8th,  1815,  fully 
placed  the  Americans  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  rights  won 
by  the  revolution,  and  left  the  north-west  free  to  American 


THE  PKOTBSTANT  MISSIONS.  139 

enterprise ;  and  we  might  with  safety  date  the  dawning  of 
north-western  civilization  from  that  eventful  victory. 

In  this  condition  of  affairs,  even  religion  seemed  to  have 
put  on  a  new  phase,  and  adapted  itself  to  the  advance  of 
civilization  in  the  great  west.  The  then  comparatively  new 
sect  called  "  Methodists,"  originated  by  the  Wesleys,  of 
England,  and  planted  in  New  York  in  1766,  had  now  be- 
come the  religion  of  great  numbers  of  the  pioneers  of  the 
west.  It  could  be  preached  without  parchment  or  pulpit, 
grammar  or  diploma;  could  be  learned  without  creed, 
prayer-book  or  breviary,  and  heard,  too,  without  chapel  or 
cathedral.  It  marched  without  crosier  or  cross  in  the  emi- 
grant train,  and  slept  with  the  pioneer  the  first  night  in  his 
log  cabin.  It  assembled  the  scattered  pioneers  in  the  shady 
grove  for  the  camp  meeting,  where  the  happy  shouts  of  the 
new  converts  often  excelled  in  noise  the  most  extravagant 
Indian  war  dance. 

The  Methodists  early  embarked  in  Indian  missions. 
Their  first  noted  missionary  in  that  department  was  John 
Steward,  a  free  colored  man,  born  near  Richmond,  Virginia, 
who  was  converted  and  united  with  the  Methodist  church 
in  that  State.  Unadvised,  and  acting  on  his  own  impres- 
sions of  duty,  he  journeyed  alone  and  on  foot  from  Virginia 
to  upper  Sandusky,  in  Ohio,  where,  in  November,  1816,  he 
commenced  a  mission  among  the  Wyandots  or  Hurons. 
He  found  an  interpreter  in  a  negro,  who  had,  many  years 
before,  been  taken  prisoner  by  the  Wyandots,  and  had 
learned  their  language.  He  met  with  a  determined  opposi- 
tion from  the  Pagan  and  Catholic  parties,  and  to  obviate  a 
difficulty  raised  by  the  latter  to  his  not  being  a  priest,  in 
March,  1819,  he  visited  Urbana  Quarterly  Conference,  and 
obtained  a  local  preacher's  license,  and  was  appointed  mis- 
sionary to  upper  Sandusky. 

The  Ohio  Conference,  August  7th,  1819,  appointed  Rev. 
James  B.  Finley  to  the  Lebanon  district,  which  included  upper 
Sandusky  mission,  which  appointment  gave  him  the  super- 


140  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

vision  of  that  mission.  Up  to  this  time,  Mr.  Steward  had 
won  over  to  the  Methodist  church  four  prominent  Wyandot 
chiefs,  and  about  sixty  other  Indians.  Schools  were  estab- 
lished, and  in  1826  the  church  members  numbered  303,  and 
the  schools  77  scholars.  An  important  revival  occurred  in 
1837;  and  when  they  removed  west  of  the  Missouri  they 
carried  Methodism  with  them,  and  continue  to  sustain  a 
flourishing  church  to  the  present  day. 

In  1820,  the  fame  of  the  success  of  the  mission  work 
among  the  Wyandots  crossed  Lake  Erie,  and  aroused  the 
attention  of  another  band  of  the  same  tribe  living  near 
Fort  Maiden,  in  Canada.  Two  native  preachers,  and  John 
Sunday,  a  converted  Chippeway,  visited  and  preached  to 
them  in  the  Wyandot  language.  Several  were  converted, 
and  a  mission  established. 

In  1823,  two  half-breeds,  John  and  Peter  Jones,  brothers, 
who  were  chiefs  at  Credit  river,  in  Canada,  were  converted 
at  a  Methodist  mission  under  the  preaching  of  Revs.  Torry 
and  Crawford.  The  two  young  Indians  returned  to  their 
tribe,  and  commenced  teaching.  In  1827  they  were  visited 
by  Indian  missionaries,  and  an  important  revival  com- 
menced. A  camp  meeting  was  held  during  the  summer 
near  Cobourg,  where  hundreds  of  Indians  attended,  and 
many  were  converted.  The  shouts  of  the  happy  Indian 
souls  might  have  been  heard  for  miles  around.  The  great 
work  spread  from  band  to  band,  until  barbarism  almost 
ceased  in  southern  Canada  West. 

John  Sunday  and  some  other  native  preachers  went  as 
missionaries  to  Lake  Superior  in  1830,  and  were  followed 
in  1834  by  four  others,  including  George  Copway,  as  a 
teacher.  They  established,  in  1833,  a  successful  mission  at 
Anse,  near  Kewenaw  bay  ;  and,  in  October,  1835,  they 
established  another  at  Ottawa  lake,  on  the  upper  Chippeway 
river,  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  miles  nearly  south  from 
La  Point.  These  missions  were  under  the  care  of  Rev. 
John  Clark,  whose  head-quarters  were  at  Sault  St.  Mary. 


REV.    ALFRED    BRUNSON,   D.D. 


THE  PKOTESTANT  MISSIONS.  143 

At  the  session  of  Pittsburgh  Conference,  Pennsylvania, 
in  July,  1835,  Rev.  Alfred  Brunson,  then  presiding  elder  of 
Meadeville  district,  was  appointed  superintendent  of  mis- 
sions on  the  upper  Mississippi.  In  September  of  that  year 
he  started  on  his  work,  and  attended  the  Illinois  Conference, 
which  appointed  him  presiding  elder  of  Galena  district, 
extending  from  Rock  Island  north  to  the  British  possessions. 
He  finally  reached  Prairie  Du  Chien  in  November,  where 
he  found  a  fort,  and  quite  a  settlement  of  Canadian  French 
and  half-breeds,  but  only  three  American  families  outside  of 
the  fort.  Arrived  at  the  head  of  civilization,  he  found  him- 
self entirely  unqualified  for  the  work  of  missions,  as  he  did 
not  know  a  word  of  any  of  the  Indian  languages  in  this 
region.  Casting  about  for  an  interpreter,  he  fortunately 
found  a  negro  slave  at  Fort  Snelling  who  understood  the 
Sioux  language,  and  who  could  be  purchased  of  an  officer 
at  the  fort  for  $1,200.  Sending  the  facts  to  the  Methodist 
paper  at  Cincinnati,  he  was  soon  put  in  possession  of  the 
money  by  private  donations,  and  with  it  procured  free 
papers  for  the  negro. 

Father  Brunson  consumed  the  summer  of  1836  in  visiting 
Pennsylvania,  bringing  on  his  family,  and  holding  quarterly 
meetings  in  his  Galena  district,  south  of  Prairie  Du  Chien ; 
and,  finally,  about  the  20th  of  May,  1837,  he  availed  himself 
of  the  first  steamboat  up  the  river  that  spring  to  go  with  his 
small  party  to  Little  Crow's  village,  at  Kaposia,  three  miles 
below  the  present  St.  Paul,  where  he  built  a  house  and 
established  a  mission.  Returning  after  several  weeks  to 
Prairie  Du  Chien  for  additional  supplies,  he  first  met  George 
Copway,  John  Johnson,  his  cousin,  and  Peter  Marksman, 
three  young  Chippeways,  who  had  spent  the  last  three  years 
in  the  missions  of  Lake  Superior,  and  whose  superintendent, 
Rev.  John  Clark,  had  sent  south  to  be  further  educated  at 
the  Methodist  school  at  Jacksonville,  Illinois,  called  the 
"  Ebenezer  Seminary."  These  young  men  accompanied 
Superintendent  Brunson  on  his  return  to  Kaposia,  and 


144  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

assisted  in  building  the  school-house  and  church,  and  soon 
after  acted  as  interpreters  at  a  treaty  with  the  Chippeways, 
in  which  Governor  Doty,  as  government  agent,  purchased 
a  large  tract  of  the  Chippeways'  country.  In  the  fall  they 
were  sent  to  the  seminary,  where  they  remained  two  years, 
and  then  returned  to  the  missionary  work.  During  the 
summer  of  1837,  Revs.  Thomas  W.  Pope,  James  Whitford, 
and  Hiram  Delap  were  added  to  the  mission,  the  latter  with 
his  family.  In  May,  1838,  Mr.  Brunson,  with  two  other 
missionaries,  Whitford  and  Randolph,  visited  Hole-in-the- 
Day,  the  head  Chippeway  chief,  near  Crow  Wing,  above 
St.  Anthony  falls,  and  got  leave  to  establish  a  mission  in  his 
band,  but  the  fierce  war  that  broke  out  immediately  with 
the  Sioux  delayed  it  for  some  time. 

Late  in  the  fall,  Mr.  Brunson  was  prostrated  with  the 
fever,  which  so  destroyed  his  health  that  he  failed  to  visit 
the  Kaposia  mission  the  following  year,  and  in  the  fall  of 
1839  he  was  placed  upon  the  superannuated  list,  and  was 
superseded  by  Rev.  B.  T.  Kavenaugh  as  superintendent. 
Mr.  Kavenaugh  took  with  him  to  his  missionary  field, 
Brothers  Spates,  Huddleston,  Johnson,  and  Marksman,  and 
established  a  new  mission  among  the  Chippeways,  on  the 
east  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  at  Elk  river,  some  three 
hundred  miles  above  St.  Paul.  In  the  fall  of  1840,  when 
the  missionaries  returned  from  Rock  River  Conference, 
they  found  the  Indians  had  all  fled,  on  account  of  the 
expected  attack  of  the  Sioux,  and  the  mission  was  removed 
to  Rabbit  river  the  following  February.  Ilowever,  on  the 
30th  of  December,  before  the  removal,  Rev.  Mr.  Huddleston 
died  of  dysentery,  and  was  buried  on  the  top  of  a  little  hill 
on  the  bank  of  the  Mississippi.  Hole-in-the-Day  threw  a 
heap  of  stones  on  the  grave,  "  so,"  as  he  said,  "  that  all  may 
see  and  know  where  the  good  man  lies ;  he  who  came  to 
bless  us." 

In  the  fall  of  1840  a  new  mission  was  established  at 
Sandy  Lake,  under  the  charge  of  Rev.  Mr.  Spates,  and  a 


THE  PBOTESTANT  MISSIONS.  145 

school  organized.  The  Sioux  having  sent  hostile  war 
parties  far  into  the  interior  of  the  Chippeway  country, 
Superintendent  Kavenaugh  again  changed  his  base,  and 
established  a  new  mission  at  Whitefish  lake,  and  another  at 
Fond  du  Lac,  of  Lake  Superior.  In  July,  1841,  the  missions 
were  consolidated  into  that  at  Sandy  lake,  under  the  charge 
of  Rev.  H.  J.  Bruce,  assisted  by  Rev.  Samuel  Spates,  with 
a  school  of  thirty  scholars ;  that  at  Whitefish  lake,  under  the 
charge  of  Rev.  John  Johnson,  (Chippeway) ;  and  that  at 
Fond  du  Lac,  under  the  charge  of  Rev.  George  Copway, 
(Chippeway),  assisted  by  his  wife,  her  sister,  and  James 
Simpson,  as  teachers. 

The  mission  at  Kaposia  was  much  embarrassed  in  the 
spring  of  1841,  by  the  war  parties,  and  the  school  was  closed 
for  the  reason  that  "Little  Crow''  visited  it,  and  entered 
his  protest  against  any  boys  attending  the  school,  under  the 
ill-conceived  idea  that  if  they  were  educated  they  would  not 
make  warriors.  But  to  his  credit  it  should  be  stated  that  at 
the  alarm  in  1838,  the  night  after  the  battle  with  the  Chip- 
peway s  on  the  St.  Croix,  when  the  missionaries  had  ah1 
embarked  to  go  down  the  river,  he  ordered  them  back  to 
their  mission  house,  placed  his  son  with  them,  and  left  a 
strong  guard  to  surround  their  house,  who  reported  hourly, 
"  all  quiet  without."  This  son  was  then  a  young  man  nearly 
twenty,  who  became  notorious  as  the  head  chief  in  the 
Sioux  rebellion  of  1862.  During  this  fearful  night  "Little 
Crow "  and  his  warriors  had  their  war-dance  over  the 
Chippeway  scalps,  but  a  few  rods  from  the  mission-house. 
Superintendent  Brunson  was  present  at  the  dance  a  short 
time,  and  witnessed  the  barbarians  holding  high  carnival 
over  their  trophies  of  war. 

But  the  Methodists  did  not  confine  their  efforts  to  the 
tribes  above  named.  In  1823,  Rev.  Jesse  Walker  opened  a 
mission  among  the  Potowatomies,  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort 
Clark,  on  Fox  river,  Illinois,  and  about  1837  over  one  hun- 
dred were  converted.  About  this  time,  a  prophet  rose  up 
10 


146  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

among  the  Kickapoos,  preaching  the  essential  doctrines  of 
Methodism,  but  adding  many  of  his  own  peculiarities.  His 
name  was  Kee-an-ne-kuk,  or  the  "  Foremost  man."  He  was 
a  chief  of  great  eloquence,  and  preached  every  Sabbath  to 
his  tribe,  denouncing  intemperance  with  no  sparing  hand. 
The  traders  in  that  tribe  told  Mr.  Catlin,  who  painted  his 
portrait  in  1835,  that  the  chief  got  his  knowledge  of  Chris- 
tianity from  a  Methodist  preacher,  whom  he  would  not  allow 
to  preach,  but  detained  him  some  time,  until  he  learned  the 
essential  doctrines  of  his  religion,  and  then  dismissed  him. 
It  has  often  been  stated  that  the  chief  subsequently  con- 
formed to  the  orthodox  church,  but  this  is  a  mistake,  as  he 
died  west  of  the  Missouri  with  the  small-pox  about  1856,  in 
the  belief  that  he  should  rise  again  from  the  dead  in  three 
days.  He  had  studiously  opposed  any  innovation  upon  his 
teachings.  His  teachings,  however,  did  not  deter  the  Meth- 
odists from  opening  a  mission  among  the  Kickapoos  in  1830, 
which  flourished  finely,  and  in  1834  numbered  230.jnembers, 
with  a  school  of  twenty-four  native  children. 

In  1829,  a  mission  was  commenced  at  Green  Bay,  among 
the  Oneidas,  by  a  young  Mohawk,  who  had  been  converted 
in  Canada  among  the  Wesley ans.  In  a  short  time  100  were 
converted,  and  its  influence  spread  to  the  Onondagas,  Men- 
ominies,  and  Kewawenons,  and  schools  were  established. 

Without  following  out  in  detail  the  various. new  missions, 
and  their  varied  successes,  we  may  say  that  in  1854,  the 
Methodists  claimed  in  Missouri,  Wisconsin,  Michigan,  and 
Black  river,  thirteen  missions,  seventeen  missionaries,  1,051 
members,  176  probationers,  and  five  local  preachers;  and 
the  Methodist  Church  South,  thirty  missions,  twenty-eight 
missionaries,  4,232  members,  thirty-five  churches,  thirty- 
four  Sabbath-schools,  1,394  scholars,  nine  manual  labor 
schools,  and  490  pupils.  It  should  be  observed,  however, 
that  the  church  south  took  possession  of  all  the  missions 
among  the  northern  Indians,  who  removed  west  of  the  Mis- 
souri river,  as  well  as  the  very  extensive  missions  among 


KEE-AN-NE-KUK 

(KICKAPOO  PHOPIIET.) 


THE  PROTESTANT  MISSIONS.  149 

the  Cherokees,  Choctaws,  Creeks,  etc.,  in  the  south ;  and 
so  sensitive  were  the  southern  Methodists  on  this  point,  that 
they  compelled  the  Rev.  James  Gurley,  who  had  been  ap- 
pointed by  the  Ohio  Conference,  in  1849,  to  continue  the 
mission  with  the  Wyandots,  to  leave  the  country  at  the 
peril  of  his  life,  after  he  had  been  with  that  tribe  nearly  six 
months,  to  their  entire  satisfaction. 

The  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Mis- 
ions  have  not  been  neglectful  of  the  Indians.  A  mission 
was  commenced  with  the  Ottawas  at  Maumee,  Ohio,  by  the 
"Western  Missionary  Society,  in  1822,  but  subsequently  came 
xinder  the  American  Board.  It  flourished  for  a  few  years, 
and  in  1828  had  seventy  pupils  in  their  school,  but  the  tribe 
having  sold  their  land  to  government,  became  scattered,  and 
the  mission  was  abandoned  in  1833. 

In  1830,  a  mission  was  opened  among  the  Chippeways,  at 
Lapoint,  Lake  Superior,  by  Mr.  Frederic  Ayer,  a  teacher 
and  catechist,  who  was  followed  the  next  year  by  Revs. 
Hall  and  Boutwell.  They  opened  missions  at  Lapoint,  Yel- 
low lake,  Sandy  lake,  and  Leech  lake.  In  1834,  the  Sandy 
lake  station,  occupied  by  Mr.  Ely,  was  removed  to  Fond  du 
Lac ;  and  the  Yellow  lake  mission,  in  1836,  was  removed  to 
Pokegurna  lake,  where  they  were  joined  by  the  missionary 
from  Leech  lake.  Fond  du  Lac  mission  was  deserted  in  1840, 
and  in  May,  1841,  Pokeguma  was  attacked  by  the  Sioux, 
and  the  Indians  scattered  with  some  loss.  They  did  not 
return  until  1843,  and  the  post  was  abandoned  by  the  mis- 
sionaries a  year  or  two  after.  In  1854,  and  for  three  years 
previous,  they  only  held  stations  at  Bad  river  and  Crow 
Wing.  The  American  Board  also  established  a  mission 
among  the  Sioux  or  Dakotas,  in  1835. 

The  first  missionaries  were  Rev.  Thomas  S.  Williamson, 
and  Jedediah  D.  Stevens,  with  their  wives ;  Alexander 
Huggins,  farmer,  and  his  wife,  and  Sarah  Poage,  teacher, 
and  Lucy  C.  Stevens,  assistant.  They  selected  two  points, 
Lake  Harriet,  six  miles  west  of  Fort  Snelliug,  and  Lacqui 


150  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

Parle,  near  the  head-waters  of  Minnesota  river.  Mr.  Wil- 
liamson, who  was  a  physician,  Mr.  Huggins  and  Miss  Poage, 
remained  at  Lake  Harriet,  and  the  rest  of  the  company 
proceeded  to  the  other  post.  In  1850,  they  had  six  missions, 
three  organized  churches,  thirty-one  native,  and  thirty-two 
white  communicants,  with  an  average  attendance  of  twenty- 
seven  pupils  in  school.  The  Rev.  S.  R.  Riggs  was  early 
added  to  the  mission,  who  has  performed  much  of  the  labor 
of  compiling  the  Dakota  Dictionary,  and  the  translation  of 
the  Bible  into  the  Dakota  language.  The  mission  continued 
to  progress  finely,  until  their  labors  were  cut  short  by  the 
outbreak  of  1862. 

Before  we  pass  from  the  Sioux  missions,  it  is  proper  to 
remark  that  an  effort  was  made  by  some  missionary  society 
in  Switzerland,  to  establish  a  "mission  among  the  Sioux, 
and  Mr.  Denton,  a  Swiss  Presbyterian,  was  sent  from 
Europe  in  1834,  who  opened  a  mission  at  Red  Wing  in 
the  spring  of  the  following  year,  and  Mr.  Gavan,  another 
Swiss  Presbyterian,  came  out  in  the  fall  of  1836,  and  opened 
a  mission  at  Mont  Trempealeau,  in  Wabashas'  band.  They 
continued  their  missions  for  a  few  years  with  some  success, 
and  then  returned  to  Europe.  Their  missions  do  not  appear 
to  have  been  named  in  any  accounts  published  of  missions 
in  the  north-west. 

The  American  Board  became  possessed  of  the  mission 
among  the  Osages,  which  was  established  by  the  United 
Foreign  Missionary  Society,  in  1820.  This  mission  was 
conducted  with  zeal  and  considerable  expense  until  1837, 
when  it  was  finally  abandoned  as  a  useless  effort.  The  same 
Board  made  a  similar  unsuccessful  effort  among  the  Paw- 
nees, a  tribe  on  the  Platte  numbering  nearly  7,000.  The 
first  missionary  company  consisted  of  Rev.  John  Dunbar, 
missionary,  Benedict  Satterlee,  physician  and  catechist,  and 
Samuel  Allis,  assistant,  who  made  their  head-quarters  at 
Bellevue,  the  government  agency.  Dr.  Satterlee  died  on 
one  of  his  excursions  with  a  band  towards  the  Rocky  nioun- 


THE  PROTESTANT  MISSIONS.  151 

tains,  and,  no  adequate  success  attending  the  mission,  it  was 
abandoned  in  1847. 

The  missions  among  the  Tuscaroras  and  Senecas  in  New 
York,  were,  in  1826,  transferred  to  the  American  Board. 
The  following  year,  John  Elliot,  of  Maine,  entered  the  work 
among  the  Tuscaroras,  and  was  joined  by  Rev.  William 
Hall  in  1829.  In  1843,  there  were  reported  at  Tuscarora, 
forty-nine  members;  Seneca, twenty ;  Cattaraugus, fifty-one; 
and  at  Alleghany,  114.  The  aggregate  number  of  pupils  in 
school  at  all  the  stations  were  reported  at  200.  Previoiis 
to  1854,  these  missions  were  consolidated  into  two,  the 
Seneca  and  Tuscarora,  and  that  year  reported  in  the  aggre- 
gate, six  stations,  five  missionaries,  nineteen  female  assistant 
missionaries,  two  hundred  and  sixty-five  members  of  the 
church,  and  three  hundred  and  eighty  scholars. 

The  Presbyterian  Board  of  Missions  have  also  had  some 
missions  among  the  north-western  Indians.  They  first 
opened  a  mission  among  the  low  as  and  Sacs  in  1835, 
which  has  been  continued  with  some  success,  and  in  1854 
they  had  with  those  tribes,  one  missionary,  four  teachers, 
and  forty  scholars.  They  opened  a  mission  among  the 
Olloes  and  Omahaws  at  Bellevue,  in  1846,  and  in  1854  had 
one  missionary  and  six  teachers  among  them,  and  forty-two 
scholars  in  their  school.  Another  mission  was  opened 
among  the  Chippeways  and  Ottawas,  at  Grand  Traverse 
bay,  Michigan,  by  Rev.  Peter  Dougherty,  in  1838,  and  in 
1854  they  had  one  missionary,  three  teachers,  thirty-four 
scholars,  and  thirty -two  communicants.  In  1852  a  school 
was  opened  at  Little  Traverse,  with  two  teachers  and  forty 
scholars;  and  at  Middle  Village,  in  1853,  with  two  teachers 
and  thirty  scholars. 

There  was  a  mission  in  1835,  not  mentioned  in  the  church 
missionary  records,  at  Yellow  river,  Iowa,  nine  miles  above 
Prairie  Du  Chien,  conducted  by  Rev.  David  Lowry,  a  Cum- 
berland Presbyterian,  and  the  government  agent  and  school 
teacher,  among  the  Winnebagoes.  Mr.  Lowry  subsequently 


152  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

came  in  collision  with  a  Catholic  priest,  who  claimed  spirit- 
ual jurisdiction  over  the  Winnebagoes,  and  we  are  not 
prepared  to  say  what  became  of  Mr.  Lowry's  mission. 

The  American  Baptist  Missionary  Union,  in  the  fall  of 
181.7,  appointed  Rev.  Isaac  McCoy  a  missionary  among  the 
Indians  on  the  Wabash  river,  who  immediately  repaired  to 
Fort  Wayne,  in  Indiana,  then  on  the  frontier,  in  the  midst 
of  bauds  of  the  Miarnies,  Kickapoos,  Potowatomies  and 
Ottawas.  In  a  year  he  had  made  friends  with  a  few  Indian 
families,  and  obtained  a  few  children,  whom  he  taught  in 
his  family.  In  1820  he  had  increased  his  school  to  forty- 
eight  pupils.  Two  years  after,  he  removed  his  station  two 
hundred  miles  further  west,  and  called  his  new  station 
Carey,  where  the  Indians  were  mainly  Potowatomies.  Here 
he  gathered  a  church  of  some  thirty  members,  part  Indians 
and  part  whites. 

On  the  solicitation  of  "  Noonday,"  a  principal  chief  of  a 
band  of  Ottawas,  Mr.  McCoy  established  another  mission 
with  that  band  on  Grand  river,  Michigan,  which  he  named 
Thomas,  which  in  1827  was  put  under  the  care  of  Rev. 
Leonard  Slater.  The  Potowatomies,  having  sold  their  land 
to  government,  and  disappointed  the  missionaries  by  their 
indifference  to  religion,  Mr.  McCoy,  in  1829,  with  all  his 
associates  except  Rev.  Mr.  Sumerville,  removed  to  Thomas. 
In  1830,  this  mission  at  Grand  river  was  composed  of  five 
missionai'ies,  six  female  assistants,  and  one  farmer.  In 
1832,  a  revival  of  religion  took  place,  and  several  Indians 
were  converted,  among  which  was  the  chief  "  Noonday." 
He  proved  a  very  consistent,  active  Christian  ;  was  of  great 
service  to  the  missionary  in  his  work,  and  died  trium- 
phantly. His  grave,  in  the  Indian  burial-place  at "  Richland," 
is  marked  by  a  white  marble  slab,  with  the  name  of  "  Noon- 
day" carved  upon  it.  In  1836  the  Indians  sold  their  land 
to  government,  and  most  of  the  tribes  removed  west  of  the 
Missouri.  A  small  band,  however,  removed  to  Richland, 
fifty  miles  south  of  "  Thomas,"  who  were  followed  by  Mr. 


THE  PROTESTANT  MISSIONS.  153 

Slater.  In  1853,  this  band  also  followed  their  brethren  west 
of  the  Missouri,  and  Mr.  Slater  was  relieved  of  his  mission. 
The  most  of  the  expense  of  these  missions,  after  1825,  was 
borne  by  government,  under  the  act  of  Congress  of  1819, 
appropriating  $10,000  annually,  to  be  expended  by  the 
President  for  the  education  of  the  Indians. 

In  1828  the  Baptist  Board  established  a  mission  at  Sault 
St.  Mary,  near  the  outlet  of  Lake  Superior,  and  Rev.  Abel 
Bingham  was  appointed  missionary.  The  president  made 
them  an  appropriation  to  assist  in  defraying  the  expenses  of 
the  mission.  Suitable  buildings  were  soon  erected,  and  in 
1832  forty  persons  were  baptized  and  added  to  the  church, 
of  whom  eleven  were  Indians,  and  the  balance  were  gen- 
erally connected  with  the  American  fort.  Messrs.  Meeker 
and  Merrill,  and  their  wives,  were  added  to  the  mission  in 
1833.  In  1854  the  Chippeway  Baptist  mission  numbered 
two  stations,  two  out-stations,  two  missionaries,  one  female 
assistant,  one  native  assistant,  one  church,  twenty-one  mem- 
bers, one  boarding  school,  six  pupils ;  two  day  schools  and 
seventy-four  pupils.  The  following  year  Mr.  Bingham 
resigned  his  supervision  of  the  mission.  They  also  claimed 
the  following  at  Shawanoe  mission,  west  of  the  Missouri : 
three  stations,  three  missionaries,  five  female  assistants,  two 
native  assistants,  three  churches,  one  hundred  members, 
two  boarding  schools,  and  forty-five  pupils. 

The  Protestant  Episcopal  church  established  a  mission  at 
Green  Bay  in  1825,  under  the  superintendence  of  Rev.  Mr. 
Nash,  but  it  was  discontinued  in  1827.  It  was  revived  in 
1829,  under  the  care  of  Rev.  R.  F.  Codle,  and  again  discon- 
tinued in  1837.  December  2nd,  1838,  Rev.  Bishop  Kemper 
consecrated  a  church  at  Duck  Creek,  erected  by  the 
Oneidas  with  funds  received  from  government,  and  the  fol- 
lowing year  Rev.  Solomon  Davis  was  placed  in  charge. 

The  American  Missionary  Association  established  a  mis- 
sion among  the  Chippeways  at  Red  lake  in  1843  ;  Cass  lake, 
1846;  St.  Josephs  and  Belle  Prairie  in  1852.  At  these 
10* 


154  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

points,  in  1854,  they  had  two  missionaries,  seventeen  assist- 
ant teachers,  three  churches,  twelve  native  communicants, 
and  thirty-nine  scholars  in  boarding  schools. 

There  were  probably  other  missions  of  the  foregoing 
churches  and  societies,  as  well  as  of  other  societies,  but 
the  writer  has  not  the  statistics  from  which  to  give  their 
condition.  Several  of  these  missions  were  discontinued 
previous  to  1867,  and  many  new  ones  have  been  established, 
and  the  reader  is  referred  to  the  sketches  of  the  different 
tribes  for  the  condition  of  the  missions  in  1867,  together 
with  their  advancement  in  civilization. 

The  question  has  a  thousand  times  been  asked,  "  Why 
can't  the  Indian  be  civilized  and  Christianized  ?"  The 
answer  from  the  missionaries  has  been  almost  uniformly 
this,  "  that  the  Indian  can  be  both  civilized  and  Christian- 
ized;" but  that  the  lack  of  success  is  mainly  attributable  to 
the  hostility  of  the  Indian  traders,  the  lack  of  cooperation 
by  government,  and  the  sale  of  intoxicating  liquors  to  the 
Indians. 

We  have  previously  given  the  testimony  of  the  Jesuit 
Fathers  on  this  subject,  and  now  propose  to  submit  some 
Protestant  testimony  of  modern  date  to  the  same  point,  so 
that  the  reader  can  see  that  the  evil  is  the  same  now  that  it 
was  two  hundred  years  ago.  We  will  first  introduce  S. 
Cooper,  Esq.,  the  government  sub  Indian  agent  to  the  Sacs 
and  Foxes  at  Council  Bluffs,  in  October,  1841,  by  making  an 
extract  from  his  official  report  to  his  government : 

"  The  principal  reason  of  these  people  not  progressing 
faster  in  civilization  is  ardent  spirits,  which  are  kept  along 
the  line  of  Missouri,  and  conveyed  into  the  Indian  country 
by  half-breeds.  The  whisky  trade  has  increased  double  this 
season,  and  can  not  be  prevented  by  our  Indian  agents  unless 
they  can  have  aid  from  government.  The  Indian  will  sell 
any  thing  for  liquor." 

Our  next  witness  is  A.  Hamilton,  Esq.,  sub-agent  to  the 
Miamies,  on  their  reservation  in  Indiana,  who  says,  in  his 


THE   PROTESTANT   MISSIONS.  165 

official  report,  September  10th,  1841,  that  "  the  tribe  is 
diminishing  yearly.  More  than  half  the  adults  who  die, 
perish  by  the  hands  of  their  fellow-Indians.  Frequently 
members  of  the  same  family  destroy  each  other  during  their 
scenes  of  drunkenness  and  riot." 

We  next  bring  forward  Rev.  A.  Bingham,  the  faithful 
Baptist  missionary  to  the  Ojibways,  at  Sault  St.  Mary. 
Plere  is  his  testimony  to  government  on  this  subject,  in 
August,  1841 : 

"  And  so  long  as  our  Indians  are  accustomed  to  frequent 
a  place  where  twelve  or  fourteen  houses  are  licensed  to  deal 
out  intoxicating  liquor  to  a  population  of  two  or  three 
hundred  souls,  and  while  there  are  so  many  individuals  who 
spend  the  most  of  their  time  in  peddling  the  deadly  stuff  to 
Indians  as  well  as  others,  and  no  check  can  be  put  to  it; 
who,  that  knows  the  native  fondness  of  an  Indian  for  it, 
can  calculate  on  any  very  extensive  and  beneficial  results 
from  the  most  faithful  and  self-denying  labors  of  the  mis- 
sionary ?" 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  American  Board  had  a  mis- 
sionary station  among  the  Osage  Indians  from  1820  to 
1837,  which  they  abandoned  the  latter  year.  The  following 
extract  from  the  official  report  of  the  Indian  agent  for  that 
tribe  in  1841,  will  explain  some  of  the  difficulties: 

"  Hitherto,  these  people  have  lived  in  the  world  without 
law,  or  the  fear  of  God  before  their  eyes ;  and,  in  conse- 
quence, have  repeatedly  sinned  against  their  neighbors,  and 
for  several  years  past  have  drank  much  more  than  formerly. 
The  vendors  of  whisky  are  to  be  found  at  almost  every 
other  house,  from  the  Cowskin  to  Missouri  river,  near  the 
boundary  line." 

Further  testimony  from  the  same  locality  appears  in  the 
official  report  of  J.  B  Luce,  sub-agent  to  the  Senecas,  dated 
August  1st,  1841 : 

"  There  are  two  distilleries  in  Missouri,  near  the  Seneca 
line,  ready  to  absorb  these  toll  grains,  (of  Seneca  mill),  and 


166  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

it  is  said  one  of  them  is  supported  and  carried  on  entirely 
by  grain  bought  from  and  whisky  sold  to  the  Indians.  To 
such  a  pitch  had  this  matter  reached  when  I  arrived,  that 
every  Monday,  the  day  on  which  the  tolls  are  distributed, 
three-fourths  of  these  unfortunate  people  might  be  seen 
drunk  about  the  mill." 

By  referring  to  the  chapter  on  the  history  of  the  Chippe- 
ways  of  Lake  Superior  and  the  Mississippi,  the  reader  will 
observe  that  all  the  efforts  at  Christianizing  this  tribe  have 
been  nearly  fruitless ;  and  the  missionaries  have  from  time 
to  time  abandoned,  them  as  past  all  hopes  of  recovery. 
Here  are  detailed  some  of  the  reasons  of  this  failure  in  the 
official  report  of  H.  G.  Gilbert,  Esq.,  agent  for  the  Chippe- 
ways,  dated  Detroit,  Michigan,  October  10th,  1855.  Speak- 
ing of  the  bands  at  Lac  Court,  Oreille,  and  Lac  de  Flam- 
beau, he  says : 

"  They  are  seldom  visited  except  by  traders,  who,  from 
the  very  nature  of  their  business,  and  the  manner  in  which 
it  has  been  conducted,  have  been  directly  interested  in 
preventing  any  advance  in  civilization  among  them." 
.  .  .  "  From  their  present  appearance  and  condition,  as 
well  as  from  the  most  reliable  information,  I  am  led  to 
believe  that  for  many  years  they  have  been  furnished  with 
whisky  in  large  quantities."  ..."  The  annuity  pay- 
ments are  always  attended  by  a  set  of  miscreants,  who  rob 
and  plunder  the  Indians  of  their  goods  and  money,  in  ex- 
change for  intoxicating  drinks.  At  the  late  payment  at  La 
Point,  large  quantities  of  whisky  were  brought  to  the  place, 
and  within  a  day  or  two  after  the  distribution  of  goods  had 
taken  place,  I  learned  that  some  of  the  interior  Indians  had 
been  stripped  in  this  way  of  all  they  had  received.  I  had 
not  yet  made  the  money  payments,  but  was  ready  to  do  so, 
and  was  well  satisfied  that  if  it  was  made  under  the  then 
existing  circumstances,  a  large  proportion  of  the  $20,000  to 
be  paid  in  coin  would  find  its  way  into  the  pockets  of  the 
whisky  venders.  There  was  but  one  course  to  take.  With 


THE  PBOTESTANT  MISSIONS.  157 

the  aid  of  my  assistants  and  some  other  gentlemen  present, 
every  suspected  place  on  the  island  was  searched,  and  all 
the  liquor  found  was  destroyed.  About  1,000  bottles,  put 
up  ready  for  sale,  were  broken,  and  twelve  barrels  emptied 
into  the  lake.  Several  hundred  dollars  worth  of  goods,  that 
had  been  taken  from  the  Indians  in  exchange  for  whisky, 
were  reclaimed,  and  the  traffic  was  effectually  broken  up 
for  that  time." 

From  the  foregoing  report,  it  appears  that  government 
has  begun  to  wake  up  to  the  subject,  and  the  following  dis- 
plays the  shadoAvs  of  coming  events.  Mr.  Fitch,  the  Chip- 
peway  agent  for  1859,  sends  the  following  advice  to  govern- 
ment :  "  This  is  a  matter  that  admits  of  no  compromise. 
The  vender  of  intoxicating  liquors  among  the  Indians  must 
be  considered  as  their  enemy,  a  disturber  of  the  peace  and 
good  order  of  society,  and  should  be  treated  as  such  at 
home  and  abroad,  and  as  such  dealt  with  according  to 
law." 

We  next  give  agent  Galbraith's  report  of  the  origin  of 
the  Sioux  massacre,  which  report  was  dated  January  27th, 
1863 :  "  On  Sunday,  the  17th  day  of  August,  A.  D.  1862, 
at  the  village  of  Acton,  in  the  county  of  Meeker,  and  State 
of  Minnesota,  four  lower  Sioux  Indians,  of  the  Sha-ka-pee's 
band,  part  of  a  hunting  party  composed  of  fourteen, 
obtained  whisky,  became  intoxicated,  and  killed  six  persons, 
including  a  man  by  the  name  of  Jones,  from  whom,  it  is 
alleged,  they  obtained  the  whisky.  This  was  the  immedi- 
ate, exciting  cause  of  the  outbreak." 

We  close  this  testimony  with  an  extract  from  the  official 
report  of  the  Governor  of  Dakota  territory,  dated  Septem- 
ber 20th,  1864.  Speaking  of  the  Sioux  war,  then  pending, 
and  its  origin,  he  says :  "  It  is  in  a  great  measure,  if  not 
wholly,  attributable  to  the  influence  of  disloyal  persons,  or 
rebels,  who  are  so  generously  permitted  by  the  government 
to  have  intercourse  with  them  (Indians) ;  and  the  practice 
which  prevails  to  an  alarming  extent,  doubtless  much 


158  UPPEK  MISSISSIPPI. 

beyond  the  belief  or  even  conception  of  the  department,  of 
allowing  such  persons  to  carry  whisky  into  the  Indian 
co.untry,  where  it  is  sold  to  the  Indians  or  exchanged  for 
peltries,  in  such  quantities  as  at  times  to  make  a  whole 
camp  drunk  and  unmanageable." 

From  these  extracts,  all  of  which  are  taken  from  the  pub- 
lished documents  of  Congress,  it  appears  that  government 
is  now  fully  advised  that  the  whisky-trader  with  the  Indians 
is  a  rebel,  and  should  be  treated  as  such  by  government ; 
and  that  such  rebels  have  constantly  fought  against  all  the 
efforts  of  government  and  of  missionaries  for  over  two 
centuries,  and,  unfortunately  for  civilization  and  Christianity, 
have,  until  lately,  beat  them  both.  But  Congress  has  now 
passed  strong  penal  laws  against  the  whisky  traffic  with  the 
Indians,  and  if  the  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs  shall 
hereafter  select  the  proper  Indian  agents,  who  will  sympa- 
thize with  the  missionaries,  and,  at  all  hazards,  execute  the 
laws,  there  is  yet  hope  for  the  poor  remnants  of  the  once 
brave  and  powerful  nations  of  the  north-west. 

In  view  of  the  premises,  the  zealous  missionaries,  remem- 
bering that  even  Jerusalem  "  killed  the  prophets  and  stoned 
them  which  were  sent  unto  her,"  should  take  courage  and 
renew  the  conflict,  for  the  day  of  victory  is  evidently  near 
at  hand. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE    IROQUOIS,    HUBONS,    DELA WAKES,    AND    MOHEGANS. 
ONGWE-HONWE,   OR  IROQUOIS. 

THIS  confederacy  originally  called  themselves  the  Ongwe- 
Jfonwe,  or  real  men ;  a  name  nearly  synonymous  in  mean- 
ing with  Illini,  or  the  men  of  the  Illinois  confederacy. 
After  the  Iroquois  had  confederated,  they  called  themselves 
JTonoshioni,  or  people  of  the  long  house,  meaning  that  their 
council-houses,  from  Albany  to  near  Lake  Erie,  had  become 
one.  In  the  early  times  of  Champlain,  the  French  called 
them  Iroquois,  from  their  peculiar  eroh,  or  grunt,  which 
they  gave  at  the  close  of  a  speech,  with  the  affix  of  ois, 
probably  thereby  meaning  the  grunters,  or  eroh-ers. 

They  were  originally  six  bands,  known  to  the  English  as 
Mohawks,  Oneidas,  Onondagas,  Cayugas,  Senecas,  and 
Tuscaroras.  The  latter  band,  according  to  their  traditions, 
went  down  the  Ohio  to  the  Mississippi,  and  from  thence  to 
North  Carolina.  This  probably  occurred  in  about  1662, 
while  they  were  in  pursuit  of  the  Shawnees.  In  North 
Carolina,  while  living  near  Newburn,  they  joined  some  local 
tribes,  and  made  war  on  the  whites  in  1712,  but  were 
defeated,  and  the  most  of  the  band  returned  to  New  York 
in  1714.  The  Hurons  and  Eries  were  originally  powerful 
bands  of  the  same  people,  but  having  become  alienated  by 
the  intrigues  of  Champlain,  they  were  nearly  exterminated 
by  the  Iroquois.  A  remnant,  however,  of  the  Hurons, 
called  by  the  Iroquois  Quatoghies,  were  readmitted,  in 


160  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

1723,  as  the  seventh  band  or  nation,  under  the  English 
name  of  Necariages.  This  latter  proceeding,  however, 
does  not  appear  to  have  been  generally  satisfactory  with 
the  Hurons,  and  they  did  not  take  up  their  residence  with 
the  confederacy.  It  was,  nevertheless,  a  formal  reunion  of 
the  whole  great  Ongwe-Honwe  family,  after  the  long, 
desolating  civil  war  so  unfortunately  inaugurated  by  Cham- 
plain  in  1610. 

Like  the  Winnebagoes,  Dakotas,  and  some  other  ancient 
tribes,  they  have  no  traditions  of  removals  from  other  local- 
ities ;  but  uniformly  have  declared  that  they  were  originally 
created  or  called  forth  from  the  bowels  of  a  hill  near  the 
falls  of  the  Oswego  river.  This  miraculous  birth,  with  their 
early  history,  are  associated  with  spirits,  beasts,  reptiles, 
and  war,  in  the  best  style  of  fabulous  Greece  and  Rome ; 
and  even  excelled  the  Puritans  of  Salem  in  the  number  and 
power  of  their  witches. 

Their  traditions  of  wars,  excepting  those  evidently  fabu- 
lous, do  not  seem  to  extend  beyond  our  history  of  the 
French  settlement  of  Canada;  but  the  Senecas  ahvays 
dwell  with  much  emphasis  on  their  war  against  the  Kah- 
kwas,  or  Eries,  which  we  have  given  as  having  terminated 
in  1655.  Beyond  that,  it  is  believed  that  there  is  no  plausi- 
ble tradition  of  a  war  extending  to  the  Mississippi. 

The  wanderings  of  the  Tuscaroras  to  the  Mississippi,  and 
thence  to  the  rivers  Roanoke  and  Neuse,  in  North  Carolina, 
appear  very  reasonable,  when  we  consider  that  the  Shawnees 
were  driven  by  the  Iroquois  up  the  Tennessee,  until  they 
were  seen  on  the  Santee  in  South  Carolina.  Had  the  Tus- 
caroras followed  the  Shawnees  to  the  head-waters  of  the 
Tennessee,  they  would  then  have  been  in  the  western  part 
of  North  Carolina,  and  near  the  head-waters  of  the  Roanoke 
and  other  rivers  running  to  the  Atlantic.  The  custom  of 
the  Indians  was  to  journey  in  canoes,  and  we  must  regard 
that  custom  in  drawing  inferences  from  their  traditions. 

In  previous  chapters  we  have  traced  this  confederacy 


ONGWE-HONWE,  OR  IKOQUOI8.  161 

through  the  heroic  ages  of  their  Avars,  and  shall  hereafter 
more  particularly  attempt  to  note  their  real  progress  in 
civilization.  Long  before  the  French  and  Indian  war,  the 
French  missionaries  were  urging  the  Iroquois  to  settle 
within  the  bounds  of  Canada,  for  the  double  purpose  of 
removing  them  from  the  Protestant  Dutch  influence,  and 
that  they  might  be  available  to  the  French  in  their  wars 
against  the  English  colonists.  Hence  the  French  finally 
planted  a  colony  of  these  Christian  Indians  at  St.  Regis,  on 
the  south  shore  of  the  St.  Lawrence  river,  on  the  north  line 
of  the  present  State  of  New  York.  This  village  often  be- 
came the  rallying-point  for  those  raids  into  the  English 
colonies,  organized  and  directed  by  the  French,  which  re- 
sulted in  no  good  to,  but  eternally  disgraced,  the  French 
name.  Against  this  village  the  English  directed  their  oppo- 
sition, and  the  Iroquois  refused  them  all  political  connection 
with  their  confederacy.  In  latter  years,  however,  the  St. 
Regis  Indians  have  attained  a  respectable  degree  of  civili- 
zation. 

In  a  previous  chapter  we  have  detailed  the  circumstances 
of  the  breaking  up  of  the  confederacy  by  the  American  army 
in  our  revolution,  on  account  of  a  large  part  of  the  tribe 
taking  the  part  of  Great  Britain  in  that  war.  After  that 
war,  a  considerable  proportion  of  the  hostile  part  of  the 
confederacy  settled  on  the  Grand  river  in  Canada,  and 
founded  Brantford,  while  others  settled  in  Ohio,  near  the 
Hurons.  At  the  present  day,  that  branch  in  Canada  have 
their  schools  and  churches.  After  the  close  of  the  revolu- 
tionary war,  and  in  October,  1784,  the  United  States  made 
a  treaty  with  the  Iroquois,  who  remained  in  New  York,  in 
which  the  Indians  surrendered  all  their  claim  to  the  Ohio 
valley  west  of  a  line  commencing  on  Lake  Ontario,  four 
miles  east  of  Niagara ;  thence  southerly  four  miles  east  of 
the  falls  carrying  place  to  the  mouth  of  Buffalo  creek; 
thence  south  to  the  north  line  of  Pennsylvania ;  thence  fol- 
lowing that  State  line  to  the  Ohio  river.  This  treaty  cut 
11 


162  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

off  all  rights  of  the  hostile  Senecas  to  territory  in  Ohio. 
Subsequent  to  this,  treaties  were  made  from  time  to  time, 
until  the  territories  of  this  once  mighty  nation  were  limited 
to  small  reservations  in  New  York,  where  a  remnant  resided 
in  1867,  apparently  contented  and  happy. 

The  primary  right  to  the  soil  of  the  territory  held  by  these 
Indians,  was  purchased  by  a  powerful  land  company  in  New 
York,  which  made  a  strong  effort  to  induce  the  Indians  to 
emigrate  west,  and  Congress  was  induced  to  set  aside  nearly 
two  millions  of  acres  of  land  west  of  the  Missouri  river,  for 
a  reservation  for  the  tribes,  but  only  a  few  individuals  ever 
emigrated  to  that  region,  who  now  live  with  the  Shawnees. 
The  Rev.  Eleazer  Williams,  by  his  influence  as  a  missionary 
with  the  Oneidas,  finally  succeeded  in  leading  west,  in  1823, 
a  small  company  of  that  tribe  to  Fox  river,  near  Green  Bay. 
Difficulties,  however,  occurred  with  the  Menominies,  who 
gave  the  Oneidas  their  land,  and  nearly  ten  years  were 
spent  in  negotiations,  which  were  concluded  in  1832;  and 
soon  after,  the  most  of  this  band,  and  a  part  of  the  St.  Regis 
band,  removed  and  settled  in  Wisconsin.  The  Oneidas,  in 
1867,  had  a  reservation  near  Green  Bay  of  61,000  acres,  of 
which  3,307  acres  were  under  cultivation,  yielding  the  pre- 
vious year  3,837  bushels  of  wheat,  18,875  of  corn,  575  of 
rye,  830  of  peas,  13,495  of  potatoes,  11,156  of  oats,  and  584 
tons  of  hay.  They  lived  in  forty-one  frame,  and  one  hun- 
dred and  five  log  houses.  In  1866  they  had  a  mission 
school,  conducted  by  the  Methodists,  with  an  average 
attendance  of  twenty-one  scholars  ;  and  another  by  the  Epis- 
copalians, with  an  average  attendance  of  twenty-six  scholars. 
Agent  Martin,  in  his  annual  report,  September  23,  1866,  said 
of  the  Oneidas :  "  There  are  upon  the  reservation  many 
good  farms  and  desirable  houses,  and  a  ride  through  their 
settlement  exhibits  evidence  of  thrift,  industry,  and  good 
management,  highly  creditable  to  the  resident  population ; 
their  houses  appear  comfortable,  their  barns  spacious  and 
well' filled,"  etc.  Their  lands  had  not  been  allotted  to  the 


ONGWE-HONWE,  OK  IEOQUOIS.  163 

individual  members  of  the  band,  but  are  held  m  common. 
The  band  put  111  volunteers  into  the  Union  army. 

The  Iroquois  in  the  State  of  New  York,  in  1865,  had  the 
following  reservations :  Alleghany,  containing  30,469  acres, 
of  which  2,436  were  under  cultivation,  and  having  thereon 
186  houses  ;  Cattaraugus,  containing  21,680  acres,  of  which 
4,962  were  under  cultivation,  having  thereon  43  frame,  103 
log,  and  103  plank  houses ;  Tonawanda,  containing  7,000 
acres,  of  which  2,006  were  under  cultivation,  having  thereon 
18  frame,  38  log,  and  63  plank  houses ;  Tuscarora,  contain- 
ing 6,000  acres,  of  which  3,372  wrere  under  cultivation, 
having  thereon  27  frame,  and  44  log  houses. 

The  Onondagas,  residing  at  Onondaga  castle,  had  569 
acres  under  cultivation,  with  40  frame,  32  log,  and  11  plank 
and  block  houses.  The  St.  Regis  band  had  4,826  acres 
under  cultivation,  with  13  frame,  68  log,  and  2  stone  and 
brick  houses.  In  1845,  that  portion  of  the  St.  Regis  band 
in  the  United  States  numbered  360  souls,  but  government 
have  not  taken  them  under  then-  supervision,  and  they,  con- 
sequently, do  not  receive  any  annuities. 

The  New  York  Indians  are  making  progress  in  civiliza- 
tion, and  have  agricultural  fairs  annually  at  Cattaraugus  and 
Tonawanda  reservations.  The  Thomas  Asylum  for  orphan 
and  destitute  Indian  children,  was  entirely  successful  in  1 866, 
and  its  embarrassment  from  lack  of  funds  was  relieved  in 
1865  and  1866  by  annual  grants  of  $1,000  from  the  United 
States  national  fund  for  education.  The  State  of  New  York 
supports  schools  among  the  Indians,  and  had  twenty-three 
in  successful  operation  in  1866. 

The  Baptists,  Methodists  and  Congregationalists  have 
several  churches,  and  a  respectable  number  of  church  mem- 
bers among  these  Indians  in  western  New  York.  The  St. 
Regis  band,  however,  are  understood  as  being  under  the 
supervision  of  the  Catholics.  They  were  all  loyal  to  the 
Union  in  the  late  rebellion,  and  furnished  1 95  soldiers  to  the 
army. 


1C4  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

While  two  hundred  years  of  our  history  of  the  Iroquois 
appear  as  worse  than  wasted  in  desolating  wars,  instigated 
and  directed  by  the  French  and  English  influence,  yet  we 
have  the  pleasure  of  noting  that  a  change  of  policy  on  the 
part  of  the  white  has  in  fifty  years  brought  these  "  savages  " 
up  to  a  grade  of  civilization  nearly  equal  to  the  whites  of 
the  States  in  which  they  live.  This  lesson,  so  dearly  learned, 
ought  to  be  remembered  by  both  whites  and  red  men,  in 
the  future  of  civilization  in  America. 

WYANDOTS,   OR  HUROKS. 

This  kindred  band  of  the  Ongwe-Honwe,  called  them- 
selves the  Wyandots.  The  French,  however,  called  them 
Hurons,  which  name  the  historian  Charlevoix  (no  very  good 
authority)  says  was  derived  from  hure,  the  French  name  of 
the  head  of  a  wild  boar,  on  account  of  the  fantastic  manner 
in  which  the  tribe  dressed  their  hair.  The  Iroquois  called 
them  Quatoffhies,  and  the  English  Necariages.  A  band  of 
the  Hurons,  living  to  the  south-west  of  the  principal  nation, 
were  called  by  the  French  "  Tobacco  Indians"  and  "  Tion- 
ontaties,"  and  by  the  English  in  subsequent  years,  "  Denon- 
dadies." 

When  C artier  visited  the  St.  Lawrence  in  1535,  he  found 
the  sites  of  Montreal  and  Quebec  in  the  possession  of  bands 
of  Indians,  of  which  he  preserved  some  words  of  their 
language,  which  are  found  to  be  of  the  Huron  or  Iroquois 
dialect.  When  Champlain  came  in  1608,  he  found  the 
Algonquins  in  possession  of  Quebec,  and  a  war  existing 
between  them  and  the  Iroquois.  He  heard  of  the  Hurons 
at  or  above  Montreal,  and  engaged  them  to  join  the  Algon- 
quins against  the  Iroquois  in  1610. 

We  have  traced  them  through  that  long  and  disastrous 
war,  and  find  a  remnant  of  them,  about  1653,  among  the 
Sioux,  on  Iowa  river;  a  few  below  Quebec,  and  the 
greater  part  either  killed  or  prisoners  among  their  enemies. 
The  party  among  the  Sioux  soon  quarreled  with  that  tribe, 


WYA^TDOTS,  OB  HURONS.  165 

and  removed  to  the  head  waters  of  the  Black  river,  Wis- 
consin, where  they  were  visited  by  two  Frenchmen  in  1659. 
This  point  being  ill  adapted  to  agriculture,  they  returned 
down  Black  river,  and  fortified,  probably,  the  site  of  the 
Winnebago  village  at  Gale's  Ferry,  where  they  were  visited 
by  Jean  Guerin,  the  associate  of  Father  Me"nard,  in  August, 
1661 ;  thence  they  were  driven  away  by  the  Sioux,  and  in 
1665  Father  Allouez  found  them  at  the  head  of  Lake 
Superior.  Thence  they  were  expelled  with  the  Algonquin 
nations  in  1671,  and  returned  to  the  Island  of  Mackinaw. 
Here  a  portion  of  the  band  were  stationed  in  1723,  when 
they  were  formally  readmitted  into  the  Iroquois  confederacy. 
A  party  of  the  Hurons,  however,  had  descended  and  settled 
near  Detroit  in  1700.  The  whole  band  finally  settled  at 
and  near  Sandusky,  Ohio. 

After  the  revolutionary  war,  they  made  several  treaties 
with  the  United  States,  and  finally,  in  1842,  engaged  to 
remove  west  of  the  Missouri  river.  Here,  the  following 
year,  December  14th,  they  purchased  of  the  Delawares 
thirty-nine  sections  of  land  at  the  junction  of  the  Kansas 
and  Missouri  rivers,  where  they  settled.  In  1850,  by  another 
treaty,  their  land  was  surveyed,  allotted,  and  divided  be- 
tween them,  and  they  were  allowed  to  become  citizens  of 
the  United  States. 

The  Hurons  numbered  at  Lake  Superior,  in  1668,  about 
four  hundred  souls;  at  Detroit,  in  1736,  about  two  hundred 
men;  in  1763,  at  Detroit  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  men, 
and  at  Sandusky  about  two  hundred  men ;  at  Sandusky  and 
in  Michigan,  in  1825,  about  five  hundred  and  seventy-nine; 
and  1853,  by  a  regular  census,  they  numbered  in  Kansas 
five  hundred  and  fifty-three. 

By  the  treaty  of  1855,  it  was  provided  that,  upon  the  ful- 
fillment of  certain  stipulations,  the  Wyandots  should  become 
citizens,  and  take  patents  of  their  lands,  the  existence  of  the 
tribe  to  cease ;  the  greater  part  of  them  received  their 
patents  accordingly.  Difficulties,  however,  accumulated 


166  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

from  time  to  time.  Certain  of  their  lands  set  apart  for 
orphans  had  been  taxed  by  Kansas,  and  sold ;  whites  had 
continued  to  trespass  on  their  lands,  and  rob  them  of  their 
property,  and  in  1866  nearly  the  whole  band  represented  to 
government,  "  that,  however  much  they  may  strive  to  live 
like  whites,  the  people  about  them,  in  many  cases,  appear 
to  think  that  Indians  '  have  no  rights  that  white  men  are 
bound  to  respect,'  and  that  they  are  "constantly  robbed  of 
their  stock  and  other  property,  and  not  able  to  obtain  the 
same  redress  as  white  people ;''  and  asked  government  to 
let  them  remove  as  a  band  and  settle  with  the  Senecas  in 
the  Indian  country,  south  of  Kansas,  who,  they  said,  had 
invited  them  to  do  so,  in  grateful  remembrance  for  the 
home  which  the  Wyandots  had  given  the  Senecas  in  Ohio, 
when  the  latter  were  fugitives  from  New  York,  at  the  time 
of  the  revolutionary  war.  The  Wyandots  have  reached  a 
grade  of  civilization  nearly  equal  to  the  whites  in  their 
vicinity,  and  maintain  schools  and  a  Methodist  society. 
Had  they  received  fair  and  Christian  treatment  from  the 
whites  in  Kansas,  their  posterity  might,  in  a  few  years  only, 
have  been  known  as  the  "  first  families,"  like  the  "  John 
Randolphs,"  of  Virginia  fame. 

LENAPEE,   OR   DELA  WARES. 

This  once  powerful  nation  called  themselves  the  Lenapee, 
but  as  bands  of  them  lived  along  the  Delaware  river  and 
bay  when  first  settled  by  the  whites,  they  became  known  to 
the  English  as  the  Delawares. 

The  French  of  Canada  alluded  to  them  in  February,  1666, 
as  the  Wampum-makers,  against  whom  the  Mohawks  and 
Oneidas  had  then  sent  a  war  party.  They  again  speak  of 
them  in  1670,  as  "the  Andastogues,  a  tribe  bordering  on 
New  Sweden,  well  adapted  for  war."  At  a  treaty  between 
the  Iroquois  and  French  of  Canada,  in  July,  1673,  the 
former  asked  for  the  French  assistance  against  "  the  An- 
dastogues," who  were  then  "  strongly  fortified  with  men 


LENAPEE,  OK  DELAWARES.  167 

and  canoes,"  saying  that  they  had  not  "  the  means  of  going 
to  attack  them  in  their  fort,  which  was  very  strong,"  The 
French  again  speak  of  the  Andastogues  in  February,  1684, 
as  having  previously  "  been  conquered  by  the  Iroquois  and 
the  English  of '  Merilande,'  "  and  that  the  English  of  Albany 
sent  an  Iroquois  chief,  who  prevented  William  Penn  from 
purchasing  the  Susquehanna  valley  of  Andastogues.  This 
long  and  destructive  war  was  probably  generated  by  the 
French  of  Canada  about  1664,  to  engage  the  Iroquois,  and 
prevent  them  from  pursuing  their  successes  against  the 
Hurons  and  their  Algonquin  allies.  As  early  as  1654,  the 
French,  for  the  same  purpose,  were  urging  the  Iroquois  to 
prosecute  their  war  against  the  Eries ;  and  the  Mohegan 
band,  at  least,  of  the  Delawares,  were  their  allies  against  the 
Eries.  On  the  defeat  of  the  Eries,  in  1655,  the  Iroquois 
soon  renewed  their  old  war  against  the  French  and  their 
Indian  allies,  and  about  1664  the  Mohegans,  by  some  influ- 
ence, broke  their  allegiance  with  the  Iroquois,  which  soon 
involved  the  whole  Delaware  nation,  and  led  to  their 
subjugation  in  1675,  and  to  their  taking  upon  themselves 
the  humiliating  condition  of  squaws.  In  this  condition 
William  Penn  found  the  Delawares  in  1682,  docile  and 
very  friendly;  and  in  this  condition  he  also  found  their 
great  war  chief,  Tamenend,  at  his  wigwam  near  Princeton, 
New  Jersey,  in  1688,  who  was  afterwards  canonized  as 
"  St.  Tammany "  by  the  Tammany  Society  in  New  York, 
soon  after  the  close  of  the  revolution,  in  derision  of  St. 
George,  of  the  tories.  Thus  fell  the  acknowledged  "  grand- 
fathers "  of  the  Algonquin  nations,  victims  to  the  intrigues 
of  European  civilization. 

The  original  territory  of  the  Delawares  was  situated  on 
the  south  of  the  Iroquois  nations,  and  north  of  the  lower 
Potomac,  extending  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Alleghany 
mountains,  while  their  powerful  band  with  the  totem  of  a 
wolf,  or  in  their  language,  the  Mohegan,  extended  to  Mas- 
sachusetts. Their  leading  tradition  claims  that  they  and 


168  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

their  allies,  the  Iroquois,  had  a  long  war  with  the  Alleghans, 
or  Allegewi,  which  they  finally  conquered  and  drove  down 
the  Mississippi.  From  this  tradition,  some  have  imagined 
that  the  Alleghans  might  have  been  the  Mound-Builders,  but 
this  hypothesis  is  not  corroborated  by  the  traditions  of  the 
Iroquois ;  but  by  applying  this  tradition  to  the  defeat  of  the 
Eries,  it  becomes  quite  probable,  as  it  is  corroborated  by  the 
known  fact  that  at  least  the  Mohegans,  the  northern  band 
of  the  DelaAvares,  assisted  the  Iroquois  in  the  defeat  of  the 
Eries ;  while  the  Delaware  word  "Alleghany  "  river,  refers 
to  a  stream  within  the  territory  of  the  Eries,  and  the  same 
tribe  was  beyond  the  "Alleghany  "  mountains. 

The  Delawares  sold  William  Penn  the  site  of  Philadel- 
phia in  1682,  and  some  territory  adjoining.  The  following 
year  he  attempted  to  purchase  the  Susquehanna  valley,  but 
the  English  of  Albany  dispatched  the  bold  Cayuga  chief 
Orewakee,  who  positively  forbade  the  Delawares  selling  it, 
and  the  humiliated  squaw  nation  dare  not  disobey  their 
masters. 

In  1694,  a  large  band  of  the  Shawnees  were  permitted  to 
settle  with  the  Delawares  on  the  Susquehanna,  by  the 
Iroquois.  Difficulties  finally  occurred  between  the  whites 
and  Delawares,  and  Shawnees,  and  in  1740  we  find  the 
Govei'nor  of  Canada  intriguing  with  the  Delawares  and 
Shawnees,  and  inviting  them  to  settle  in  Ohio.  In  1743  a 
large  part  of  the  war  parties  emigrated  to  Ohio,  and  the 
Christian  bands  were  forced  to  follow  in  1767.  In  a  pre- 
vious chapter  we  have  traced  their  history  in  Ohio  until 
after  the  war  of  1812.  A  part  of  the  Delawares  and  Shaw- 
nees of  Ohio,  being  unwilling  to  continue  the  war  with  the 
whites,  in  1793  emigrated  west  of  the  Missouri.  The  bal- 
ance of  the  Delawares  sold  their  lands  in  Ohio  in  1818  and 
1829,  to  the  United  States,  and  in  1832  joined  their  brethren 
in  Kansas.  The  treaty  of  1854  provided  for  a  sale  of  part 
of  their  land  in  Kansas,  and  an  allotment  in  severalty  of 
the  balance.  In  1860  many  of  them  had  become  good 


MOHEGANS.  169 

farmers,  and  maintained  a  mission  school  in  charge  of  the 
Baptists,  and  their  agents  report  them  the  richest  nation  per 
capita  on  the  globe.  They  put  160  volunteers  into  the 
Union  army  during  the  rebellion. 

In  1763  their  various  bands  on  the  Susquehanna,  Mus- 
kingum,  and  Lake  Erie,  were  estimated  at  600  men;  in 
1825,  in  Missouri,  at  1,800  souls ;  and  by  the  census  of  1853, 
there  were  found  1,132  souls  on  their  reservation  in  Kansas. 

The  Delawares  have  been  much  annoyed  by  their  white 
neighbors,  and  many  of  them  being  desirous  to  move  again 
to  the  Indian  country,  the  United  States  made  a  treaty  with 
them  July  4, 1866,  which  was  ratified,  and  published  August 
10,  of  the  same  year,  by  which  their  reservation  of  nearly 
100,000  acres  is  to  be  sold  to  the  Missouri  River  Railroad 
Company,  "  except  such  as  is  held  by  Indians  who  may  elect 
to  remain  in  Kansas  and  become  citizens."  Those  wishing 
to  remove  are  to  be  provided  with  a  new  home  in  the  Indian 
country.  A  small  band  of  the  Munsee  of  the  Delawares  are 
associated  with  the  Stockbridge  Indians  in  Wisconsin. 

MOHEGANS. 

Moliegan,  or  in  French  orthography,  Mahingan,  accord- 
ing to  the  Algonquin  language  signified  wolf;  hence  the 
French  called  them  Loups.  They  belonged  to  the  Delaware 
band,  with  the  totem  the  wolf,  which  were  located  near 
Minisink,  New  York,  at  the  first  settlement  of  the  country. 
They  were  often  called  the  "  River  Indians,"  and  "  Canoe 
Indians,"  by  the  whites,  as  they  were  found  along  the  Hud- 
son and  Connecticut  rivers,  and  Long  Island  sound.  They 
belonged  to  the  great  Delaware  nation,  and  by  them  were 
called  "  Grandsons."  Other  bands  of  the  Mohegans,  called 
Pequods,  Pokanoket,  Narragansetts,  and  Massachusetts, 
occupied  eastern  Massachusetts  and  Rhode  Island. 

The  first  whites  which  landed  in  Massachusetts  violated 
the  hospitality  of  the  Indians,  by  stealing  a  number  of  them 
and  selling  them  into  slavery  in  the  West  Indies ;  hence  the 
11* 


170  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

whites  became  known  only  as  enemies,  and  the  first  party 
of  Pilgrims  which  landed  in  1620  were  boldly  attacked  by 
the  Indians.  In  May,  1637,  followed  the  Pequod  war,  and 
that  band  was  annihilated  or  sold  into  slavery  in  the  West 
Indies.  The  Dutch  war  followed  in  1643,  and,  according 
to  Dutch  authority,  the  cruel  Governor  Kieft  indiscrimi- 
nately put  to  death  '2,000  men,  women,  and  children,  in  no 
instance  sparing  either  age  or  sex. 

The  Mohegans  became  involved  with  their  grandfathers 
the  Delawares  in  the  great  war  with  the  Iroquois  in  about 
1664,  and  in  1675,  with  the  Delawares,  were  content  to 
assume  the  position  of  squaws. 

King  Phillip's  war  came  on  in  1675,  and  the  Narragan- 
setts,  Pokanokets,  and  Massachusetts,  ceased  to  exist  as 
independent  bands.  The  pious  Elliot  had  spent  forty 
years  in  learning  the  Massachusetts  dialect  of  the  Mohegan 
language,  had  translated  the  Bible  into  that  dialect,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  establishing  fourteen  Christian  villages,  but  Avhen 
the  war  cloud  cleared  away,  four  decimated  bleeding  vil- 
lages were  all  that  were  left  of  his  forty  years'  labor,  and  his 
new  Bible  was  found  to  be  literally  in  a  "  dead  language." 

The  surviving  Mohegans  of  the  Connecticut  and  Hudson 
rivers  for  many  years  continued  a  kind  of  wandering  life, 
and  were  allies  of  the  whites  through  the  subsequent  wars 
with  the  French  and  Canada  Indians. 

After  the  close  of  the  French  and  Indian  war,  and  in 
1765,  the  census  of  Massachusetts  showed  1,569  Indians 
and  half-breeds,  scattered  through  seven  counties,  as  the 
relic  of  all  the  powerful  tribes  which  once  inhabited  that 
region;  and  in  1860  that  number  was  reduced  to  317, 
nearly  all  of  whom  were  in  the  Marshpee  district. 

Two  small  bands  of  Christian  Indians,  however,  con- 
tinued to  exist,  one  the  Brothertown,  and  the  other  the 
Stockbridge,  or,  as  the  latter  called  themselves,  "  Mohekun- 
nucks."  The  latter  band  removed  to  New  York  previous 
to  1794,  and  the  former  followed  soon  after,  and  both  were 


MOHEGANS.  171 

permitted  to  settle  with  the  Oneidas,  where  they  were 
joined  by  the  small  band  of  Delawares  called  the  Munsees, 
from  the  Susquehanna.  These  three  bands  emigrated  to 
Wisconsin  with  the  Oneidas  in  1821,  and  in  1831  were 
allowed  to  settle  on  three  townships  of  territory  purchased 
-from  the  Menominies,  on  the  east  side  of  Lake  Winnebago. 
The  Brothertowns  soon  became  citizens  of  the  United 
States,  but  the  Stockbridge  and  Munsees  had  divided 
councils,  and  part  of  them  became  citizens,  and  about  one- 
fifth  removed  to  Kansas  soon  after  1846. 

The  Stockbridges  and  Munsees,  who  remained  in  Wis- 
consin, sold  their  reservation,  and  in  1856  removed  to  two 
townships  in  the  timbered  country  further  north,  being 
township  twenty-eight,  north  of  ranges  thirteen  and  fourteen 
east.  This  new  reservation  proved  to  be  too  barren  and 
frosty  for  agricultural  productions,  and  in  1866  they  were 
reported  in  a  very  destitute  condition ;  but  the  commissioner 
of  Indian  affairs  sent  them  $1,000  out  of  the  fund  to  pur- 
chase "  provisions  for  Indians,"  which,  it  was  believed, 
would  keep  them  from  suffering.  Their  school  averaged 
eighteen  scholars  in  the  summer  of  1866,  and  was  taught  by 
Rev.  J.  Slingerland,  a  native  teacher.  They  also  organized 
a  Methodist  church  the  same  year,  with  about  twenty  mem- 
bers of  the  class.  In  1856  they  numbered  409  souls,  but 
the  discontent  on  account  of  their  poor  reservation,  had  so 
scattered  them  in  1866,  that  there  were  but  152  left,  only 
one  of  whom  was  a  Munsee.  These  speak  English,  and  are 
the  "  last  of  the  Mohegans." 

PUBLISHER'S  NOTE.  A  small  band  of  from  three  to  five  hundred 
of  the  Mohegans  were  settled  in  Connecticut  on  the  Thames  river, 
about  five  miles  below  Norwich,  where  a  missionary,  for  several 
years,  previous  to  1845,  Rev.  Mr.  Gleason,  Congregationalist,  a  man 
of  large  heart  and  burning  zeal,  and  a  school-teacher,  were  for  many 
years  located,  and  labored  with  pretty  good  success.  But  their  close 
proximity  to  whisky,  and  the  indifferent  quality  of  their  soil,  were 
constant  drawbacks  upon  the  progress  in  religion  and  civilization 
of  these  poor  Indians.  They  have  wasted  away  until  only  a  mere 
remnant  remains. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


THE   ILLINOIS    CONFEDERACY. 

Under  the  name  of  this  confederacy,  we  class : 

1.  The  Illini,  or  "  the  men,"  who  formerly  occupied  the 
country  between  the  Illinois  and  Wabash  rivers. 

2.  The  Miami,  who  occupied  the  Wabash  and  Maumee 
rivers,  and  whom  the  early  missionaries  called  an  Illinois 
tribe. 

3.  The  Mascotens,  who  occupied  the  eastern  part  of  the 
State  of  Michigan. 

4.  The  Kickapoo,  a  northern  band,  according  to  Shawnee 
tradition,  of  that  tribe,  who  probably  lived  between  the 
Miamies  and  Shawnees ;  and 

5.  The  Shawano,  or  people  of  the  south,  who  occupied 
the  central  valley  of  the  Ohio  river,  and  who  in  later  years 
the  English  have  called  Shawnees. 

We  have  classified  these  several  tribes  as  a  confederacy, 
not  from  any  knowledge  that  they  were  the  same  people,  or 
associated  in  government,  but  solely  on  account  of  their 
associations  and  similarity  in  customs  and  languages. 

THE  ILLINOIS. 

This  nation,  consisting  of  the  bands  called  Peorias,  Kas- 
kaskias,  Kaokias,  Tamarois,  and  Michigamias,  occupied  the 
country  between  the  Illinois  and  Wabash  rivers,  and  first 
became  known  to  the  French  in  the  treaty  with  Mcolet,  at 
Green  Bay  in  1639.  The  following  year,  they  made  a  inur- 


THE  ILLINOIS.  173 

derous  assault  on  the  Winnebagoes,  but  soon  returned  their 
prisoners  and  reinstated'  that  tribe.  In  1660  the  Iroquois 
fell  upon  them,  and  drove  the  most  of  them  beyond  the 
Mississippi.  Part  of  the  Michigamias  fled  to  the  Wisconsin 
river,  and  the  balance  of  that  band  to  the  Arkansas  river. 
The  most  of  the  Illinois  having  returned  to  their  country, 
they  were  again  attacked  by  the  Iroquois,  September  10, 
1680,  and  about  1,200  either  killed  or  taken  prisoners.  This 
nation  was  constantly  engaged  in  wars  until  modern  times, 
when  they  became  almost  extinct.  In  1736,  they  were 
estimated  as  follows :  Michigamias,  at  Fort  Chartres,  250 
men;  Kaskaskias,  six  leagues  below,  100  men;  Peorias  at 
the  Rock,  50  men ;  sftid  Kaokias  and  Tamarois,  200  men. 

The  United  States  made  a  treaty  with  this  tribe  (except 
the  Peorias),  August  13,  1803,  the  first  article  of  which  is 
as  follows : 

"ARTICLE  IST.  Whereas,  from  a  variety  of  unfortunate 
circumstances,  the  several  tribes  of  Illinois  Indians ^are 
reduced  to  a  very  small  number,  the  remains  of  which  have 
been  long  consolidated  and  known  by  the  name  of  the 
Kaskaskia  tribe,  and  finding  themselves  unable  to  occupy 
the  extensive  tract  of  country  which  of  right  belongs  to 
them,  and  which  Vas  possessed  by  their  ancestors  for  many 
generations,  the  chiefs  and  warriors  of  the  said  tribe,  being 
also  desirous  of  procuring  the  means  of  improvement  in  the 
arts  of  civilized  life,  and  a  more  certain  and  effectual  support 
for  their  women  and  children,  have,  for  the  considerations 
hereinafter  mentioned,  relinquished,  and  by  these  presents 
do  relinquish  and  cede  to  the  United  States,  all  the  lands  in 
the  Illinois  country,  which  the  said  tribe  has  heretofore 
possessed,  or  which  they  may  rightfully  claim  ;  reserving  to 
themselves,  however,  the  tract  of  about  three  hundred  and 
fifty  acres  near  the  town  of  Kaskaskia,  which  they  have 
always  held,  and  which  was  secured  to  them  by  the  act  of 
Congress  of  the  third  day  of  March,  1791 ;  and  also  the 
right  of  locating  one  other  tract  of  twelve  hundred  and 


174  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

eighty  acres  within  the  bounds  of  that  now  ceded,  which  two 
tracts  of  land  shall  remain  to  them  forever." 

This  treaty  did  not  include  the  Peoria  band  of  the  Illinois, 
nor  their  territory ;  hence  a  new  treaty  was  made,  Septem- 
ber 25th,  1818,  with  the  Peoria,  Kaskaskia,  Michigamia, 
Cahoki,  and  Tamarois,  specially  describing  the  whole  terri- 
tory ceded  by  the  united  tribe  as  follows :  "  Beginning  at 
the  confluence  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers,  thence  up 
the  Ohio  to  the  mouth  of  Saline  creek,  about  twelve  miles 
below  the  mouth  of  the  Wabash ;  thence  along  the  dividing 
ridge  between  the  waters  of  said  creek  and  the  Wabash  to 
the  general  dividing  ridge  between  the  waters  which  fall 
into  the  Wabash  and  those  which  fall  into  the  Kaskaskia 
river;  thence  along  the  said  ridge  until  it  reaches  the 
waters  which  fall  into  the  Illinois  river ;  thence,  in  a  direct 
line  to  the  confluence  of  the  Kankakee  and  Maple  rivers ; 
thence  down  the  Illinois  river  to  its  confluence  with  the 
Mississippi  river,  and  down  the  latter  to  the  beginning." 

For  this  cession  the  United  States  agreed  to  pay  the 
Peoria  band  $2,000  in  merchandise,  an  annuity  of  three 
hundred  dollars  for  twelve  years,  and  give  them  six  hundred 
and  forty  acres  of  land,  "  including  their  village  on  Black- 
water  river,  in  the  territory  of  Missouri."  t 

By  the  treaty  of  October  27th,  1832,  the  Kaskaskias 
ceded  to  the  United  States  their  reservation  in  Illinois, 
except  the  three  hundred  and  fifty  acres  near  Kaskaskia, 
which  they  reserved  "  to  Ellen  De  Coigne,  the  daughter  of 
their  late  chief,  who  has  married  a  white  man ;"  also  released 
to  the  United  States  their  permanent  annuity  of  $1,000,  and 
salt  annuity ;  and  the  Peorias  ceded  all  their  land  in  Mis- 
souri and  Illinois,  and  all  other  claims.  For  which  the 
United  States  ceded  to  the  united  bands  of  Illinois  Indians 
one  hundred  and  fifty  sections  -of  land,  "  as  long  as  they  live 
upon  it,"  which  was  "  to  include  the  present  Peoria  village, 
west  of  the  State  of  Missouri,  on  the  waters  of  the  Osage 
river,  to  be  bounded  as  follows,  to  wit :  North,  by  lands 


THE  MIAMIES,  MASCOTEXS,  AND  KICKAPOOS.  175 

assigned  to  the  Shawnees ;  west,  by  the  western  line  of  the 
reservation  made  for  the  Piankeshaws,  Weas,  and  Peorias ; 
and  east,  by  lands  assigned  the  Piankeshaws  and  Weas." 
Also,  gave  the  united  bands  $3,000,  as  an  annuity,  for  ten 
successive  years ;  also,  $1,600  to  Kaskaskias  for  salt  annuity ; 
and  horses  lost,  three  hundred  and  fifty  dollars ;  to  Peorias 
for  improvements  on  land  left,  two  hundred  and  fifty  dol- 
lars ;  to  the  united  bands,  four  hundred  dollars  in  stock, 
"  three  iron-bound  carts,  thre£  yoke  of  oxen,  and  six 
ploughs  j"  also  build  for  them  "  four  log  houses ;"  to  pay 
for  breaking  and  fencing,  three  hundred  dollars ;  to  buy  iron 
and  steel,  fifty  dollars  annually  for  four  years ;  to  pay  on 
ratification  of  treaty,  eight  hundred  dollars  in  goods,  and 
$1,000  for  provisions  and  expenses  of  removal. 

In  1858  these  tribes,  with  the  Piankeshaws  and  Weas, 
collectively,  numbered  only  about  two  hundred  souls,  and 
had  made  some  advance  in  civilization,  and  still  occupied 
their  reservation  on  the  Osage.  In  1865  the  population  of 
all  these  bands  had  increased  to  two  hundred  and  thirty-six. 
Their  individual  personal  property  averaged  one  hundred 
and  forty  dollars  each.  By  their  treaty  of  1854,  the  allot- 
ment system  was  adopted,  and  each  Indian  generally  has 
his  separate  farm.  They  have  no  separate  school,  but 
several  of  their  children  attend  St.  Mary's  school,  among 
the  Potowatomies.  They  often  express  a  wish  for  a  school 
and  preaching.  Several  of  them  are  members  of  churches. 
They  have  no  annuities. 

THE  MIAMIES,   MASCOTENS,  AND  KICKAPOOS. 

The  Mascotens,  or  "Fire  nation,"  were  known  to  the 
French  in  1615,  being  then  at  war  with  the  Eries.  The 
three  tribes  were  driven  out  of  their  country  about  1660, 
and  took  shelter  with  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  on  the  Wisconsin 
river,  on  the  borders  of  the  Wisconsin  forests,  where  they 
were  found,  April  30th,  16YO,  by  the  Jesuit  missionary,  Rev. 
Father  Allouez,  who  said  of  the  Miamies  and  Mascotens 


176  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

that  they  numbered  "  more  thaiv.3,000  souls,  being  able  each 
one  to  furnish  four  hundred  men  to  defend  themselves 
against  the  Iroquois,  who  come  even  into  these  distant 
countries  to  seek  them."  Rev.  Father  Marquette,  in  1673, 
found  these  three  tribes  on  the  Wisconsin  river ;  b\it  pre- 
vious to  1680,  according  to  Father  Membre,  the  Miamies 
changed  their  residence  to  St.  Joseph,  Michigan,  and  had 
become  allies  of  the  Iroquois  against  the  Illinois.  La 
Honton,  who  visited  the  upper  Mississippi  in  1680,  and 
published  his  travels  in  France  in  1705,  locates  the  Miamies 
and  a  band  of  the  Mascotens  on  the  St.  Joseph's  river,  and 
bands  of  the  Miamies,  called  Aouiatinons,  at  Detroit, 
Maumee,  and  Wabash  rivers.  In  1751  the  Miamies  were 
on  the  Wabash.  The  Kickapoos,  whom  the  Shawnees 
claim  were  a  part  of  their  tribe,  with  a  band  of  the  Masco- 
tens, continued  to  occupy  villages  on  the  Wisconsin  river, 
and  were  generally  allies  of  the  Sacs,  Foxes,  and  Winne- 
bagoes,  up  to  1754,  when  we  find  them  associated  with  the 
Potowatomies  and  Sioux  in  a  war  against  the  Peorias  of 
Illinois. 

The  Mascotens,  who  returned  south-east  with  the  Miamies, 
seem  to  have  settled  near  the  Sciota,  for,  according  to  the 
Governor  of  Canada,  the  Shawnees  of  Pennsylvania,  in 
1743,  settled  at  the  "  Prairie  of  the  Mascotens."  In  1763, 
Colonel  William  Johnson  locates  near  the  Wabash  a  band 
of  the  Kickapoos,  numbering  one  hundred  and  eighty,  and 
one  of  the  Mascotens,  numbering  ninety,  and  as  belonging 
to  the  Miami  confederacy.  After  our  revolutionary  war, 
the  name  of  the  Mascotens  disappears  from  among  the 
Indians  of  the  north-west,  and  that  tribe  probably  joined 
the  band  of  Kickapoos,  who  many  years  ago  emigrated 
south-west,  and  are  now  among  the  Creeks  in  the  Indian 
country. 

The  balance  of  the  Kickapoos  sold  their  lands  on  the 
Wabash  in  1832,  removed  south-west  of  the  Missouri  river, 
and  in  1854  settled  on  their  present  reservation  of  150,000 


THE  MIAMIES,  MASCOTENS,  AND  KICKAPOOS.  1*77 

acres,  located  on  the  Grasshopper  river,  about  thirty-three 
miles  west  of  St.  Joseph,  Missouri.  In  1859  they  numbered 
on  the  reservation,  350,  and  were  in  about  ninety  families; 
some  with  farms  which  contained  100  acres.  The  wild 
bands  return  at  the  time  of  the  government  payments,  and 
receive  their  proportion  of  the  annuities.  They  had,  in  1865, 
800  acres  under  cultivation,  with  two  frame,  and  forty  log 
houses,  and  raised  600  bushels  of  wheat,  20,000  bushels  of 
corn,  800  of  oats,  1,500  of  potatoes,  and  200  of  turnips. 

The  allotment  of  land  was  not  generally  adopted  by  the 
tribe,  only  thirty  families  having  accepted  farms ;  and  the 
remainder  occupy  land  in  common.  One  hundred  and 
twenty,  who  had  been  absent  from  the  tribe  since  August  1, 

1864,  rumor  says,  had  been  cut  off  by  the  wild  Indians  in  the 
south-west.     At  least,  they  had  not  returned  in  November, 

1865.  The  unsettled  condition  of  affairs  during  the  rebel- 
lion had  operated  to  create  dissatisfaction,  and  many  of  their 
cattle   and  horses  had  passed  into  the  hands  of  thieves. 
Many  were  anxious  to  sell  out  and  remove  to  the  south-west, 
but  the  chiefs  refused  to  make  a  treaty  to  that  effect  in  1866. 
The  mission-school,  under  the  charge  of  the  Methodists, 
which  had  been  very  successful,  was  finally  discontinued  in 
the  latter  part  of  1864,  but  government  reestablished    a 
school  in  June,  1866,  from  the  educational  fund.     There  is 
a  great  probability  that  part  of  the  tribe  have,  or  will,  return 
to  the  wild  state,   and  chase  the  buffalo  in  their  annual 
circuits   along  the  foot  of  the  Rocky  mountains.     Their 
annuities  are  $5,000  interest,  and  an  installment  on  principal 
of  $5,000.    They  have  been  loyal  to  the  government  during 
the  late  rebellion. 

There  are  small  bands  of  Miamies  still  occupying  the  Eel 
river  reservation  in  Indiana,  but  the  most  of  them,  including 
the  Weeas  and  Piankashaws,  sold  their  lands  in  Indiana  in 
1840,  and  removed  to  a  reservation  on  the  Osage  river,  the 
two  latter  bands  associating  with  the  Peorias  of  Illinois, 
with  whom  we  shall  further  speak  of  them.  By  the  treaty 
12 


178  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

of  1854,  the  Miamies  adopted  the  allotment  in  severalty  of 
their  lands,  and  each  one  has  his  separate  farm.  In  1865, 
they  numbered  one  hundred  and  twenty-seven  souls,  had 
nine  frame,  and  eleven  log  houses,  cultivated  503  acres,  and 
raised  200  bushels  of  wheat,  8,500  of  corn,  and  500  of  pota- 
toes. Their  reservation  contained  57,600  acres,  and  their 
personal  property  averaged  $120  each.  Their  annuities  were 
$1,540,  for  expense  of  smith-shop,  mills,  etc;  $13,562.89 
interest,  and  one  annual  instalment  of  $7,500.  They  fur- 
nished three  soldiers  for  the  Union  army. 

The  Eel  river  (Indiana)  Miamies  had  an  annuity  of 
$  1 , 1 00  of  interest.  A  large  proportion  of  these  have  become 
thoroughly  civilized,  and  many  of  them  devoted  Christians, 
connected  with  the  Baptist  denomination.  Two,  brothers- 
in-law,  were  licensed  to  preach,  and  became  very  eloquent, 
effective  preachers,  among  their  tribe.  Bruilette,  the  eldest 
of  these,  was  an  old  warrior  and  a  drunken  fighter.  But  the 
grace  of  God  subdued  his  wicked  passions,  and  transformed 
the  lion  to  the  lamb.  In  that  heart  where  sin  abounded, 
grace  did  much  more  abound,  and  he  lived  several  years 
exemplifying  the  spirit  of  Jesus,  and  in  the  summer  of  1867 
died  the  death  of  the  righteous. 

8HAWANO,   OR   SOUTHRONS. 

The  name  of  this  tribe  was  Shawanons,  according  to  the 
early  French  authors,  which,  in  the  Miami  language,  means 
Southrons,  or  the  people  of  the  south ;  evidently  given 
them  because  they  lived  on  the  Ohio,  to  the  south  of  the 
Miamies.  The  English  contracted  the  word  to  Shawanees, 
and  in  later  years,  to  Shawnees,  by  which  they  are  known 
in  modern  times.  According  to  Marquette,  in  1673,  they 
had  thirty-eight  villages  on  the  Ohio  river,  near  each  other, 
and  "  are  the  people  the  Iroquois  go  far  to  seek,  in  order  to 
wage  an  unprovoked  war  upon."  According  to  the  same 
authority  in  1668,  a  party  of  the  same  tribe  visited  the 
Illinois  Indians,  after  thirty  days'  journey  from  east  south- 


SHAWANO,  OR  SOUTHRONS.  179 

east,  with  many  glass  beads,  which  showed  that  they  had 
visited  the  whites,  probably  in  Carolina.  According  to  the 
Iroquois  authority  given  the  French  in  1680,  that  nation 
attacked  the  Illinois  Indians  about  1660,  and  drove  them 
out  of  the  country.  It  is  true  the  Iroquois  do  not  mention 
the  Shawnees  as  one  of  their  bands,  yet  as  the  Illinois, 
Miamies,  and  Shawnees,  spoke  nearly  the  same  dialect,  it  is 
reasonable  to  suppose,  in  connection  with  the  statement  of 
Marquette,  that  the  Shawnees  were  driven  out  of  the  country 
at  the  same  time  with  the  Illinois,  and  retired  to  the  south, 
where  bands  of  them  were  seen  on  the  head-waters  of  the 
Santee,  according  to  Lawson,  and  on  the  head-waters  of  the 
Mobile,  according  to  Adair ;  and  a  band  of  them  might  even 
have  gone  to  Florida,  according  to  General  Harrison,  where 
Black  Hoof  was  said  to  have  been  born  previous  to  1750. 
Rev.  Father  Gravier,  long  a  missionary  among-  the  Illinois 
previous  to  1700,  speaks  of  the  Shawnees  as  living  on  the 
Tennessee  river ;  and  Charlevoix  located  a  band  of  them,  in 
1721,  between  the  Tennessee  and  Cumberland  rivers.  In 
1693,  the  Shawnees  made  a  treaty  of  peace  with  the 
Iroquois,  with  the  help  of  the  English  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
a  band  of  nearly  700  settled  near  the  Delawares  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, the  following  year.  They  came  to  Pennsylvania  by 
way  of  Pittsburgh.  In  about  1740,  we  find  the  Governor 
of  Canada  intriguing  with  the  Shawnees,  to  induce  them  to 
return  to  the  Ohio  valley;  and  in  1743  the  Pennsylvania 
Shawnees  returned  and  settled  on  the  Sciota,  and  a  war 
with  the  Cherokees  is  understood  as  having  driven  the 
bands  from  the  Tennessee  to  the  same  locality,  about  the 
same  time.  Mr.  Schoolcraft  puts  this  emigration  to  the 
Ohio  from  the  south  in  1640,  which  is  evidently  an  error  of 
100  years,  as  we  have  no  knowledge  of  the  Shawnees  pre- 
vious to  1660.  General  Harrison,  in  his  historical  address 
in  1838,  claimed  that  the  Shawnees  never  occupied  the  Ohio 
valley  until  a  short  time  previous  to  1750,  and  based  his 
statement  on  that  of  Black  Hoof,  who  claimed  to  have  been 


180  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

born  in  Florida.  General  Harrison  does  not  even  allude  to 
the  fact  that  a  large  band  of  the  Shawnees  lived  in  Penn- 
sylvania, and  was  also  evidently  unacquainted  with  the 
French  explorations  in  the  north-west.  Some  authors  have 
intimated  that  the  Shawnees  might  have  been  the  remnant 
of  the  Eries,  but  this  hypothesis  is  destroyed  by  the  fact 
that  the  Eries  spoke  a  dialect  of  the  Huron-Iroquois,  while 
the  Shawnees  speak  a  dialect  of  the  Miami- Algonquin.  The 
name  of  the  tribe  is  also  fatal  to  this  hypothesis. 

A  band  of  the  Shawnees  emigrated  west  of  the  Missouri 
river  as  early  as  1793,  but  the  balance  remained  in  Ohio 
until  1832,  when  they  sold  out  their  lands  to  the  United 
States,  and,  about  four  hundred  strong,  emigrated  to  and 
accepted  a  reservation  of  200,000  acres  of  land  west  of  the 
Missouri  and  south  of  the  Kansas  rivers. 

In  1736  they  were  estimated  to  contain  two  hundred  men ; 
in  1763,  three  hundred  men;  in  1825,  eight  hundred  souls; 
and  in  1853,  including  the  Delawares,  1,400.  In  1865  the 
census  numbered  them  at  eight  hundred  and  forty-five  per- 
sons. Under  their  treaty  of  1854,  seven  hundred  of  the 
Shawnees  selected  their  farms  in  severalty,  and  the  balance 
formed  the  Black  Bob  settlement,  and  continued  to  hold 
their  lands  in  common.  They  have  banished  whisky,  and 
many  of  them  have  fine  farms  under  cultivation. 

Their  school  is  under  charge  of  the  Society  of  Friends, 
and  in  1865  contained  forty  scholars,  and  was  quite  pros- 
perous. Nearly  twenty  children  attend  the  State  schools. 
Both  Methodists  and  Friends  have  religious  services  once 
each  week  among  the  Shawnees. 

Their  reservation  contains  200,000  acres,  on  which  there 
were  forty-five  frame  houses,  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  log 
houses.  They  raised,  in  1865,  3,000  bushels  wheat,  20,000 
bushels  corn,  2,500  bushels  oats,  and  a  proportional  of 
vegetables.  They  also  had  300  horses,  600  cattle,  1,000 
swine,  and  580  sheep. 

Being  on  the  border  of  Missouri,  they  suffered  from  the 


SHAWANO,  OR  SOUTHRONS.  181 

rebel  raids,  and  particularly  that  of  General  Price  in  1864. 
They  furnished  for  the  Union  army  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  enlisted  men,  and  a  company  of  home  guards. 
They  furnish  an  instance  of  the  successful  civilization  of 
an  Indian  tribe.  In  the  spring  of  1866  a  treaty  was  made 
with  the  tribe  providing  for  the  sale  of  lands,  and  authoriz- 
ing such  as  desired  it  to  remove  to  Indian  territory,  but  it 
had  not  been  ratified  by  the  Senate  in  November  of  that 
year. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


THE  WINNEBAGO  CONFEDERACY. 

WHEN  Sieur  Jean  Nicolet  visited  the  0-chunJc-o-raws,  or 
Winnebagoes,  at  Green  Bay  in  1639,  he  spoke  of  them  as 
then  "  sedentary  and  very  numerous ;"  but  this  fact  has 
since  been  doubted,  as  the  following  year  they  were  nearly 
exterminated  by  the  Illinois,  and  if  so  easily  exterminated,  it 
was  thought  that  they  could  not  have  been  very  numerous. 
Again,  it  was  said  by  authors  that  the  Winnebagoes  were 
only  an  insignificant  band  of  the  Sioux,  speaking  a  dialect 
of  the  Sioux  language ;  but  later  investigations  into  the 
language  of  the  0-chunJc-o-raws  and  several  other  western 
tribes  seem  to  establish  the  fact  that  they  are  the  parent 
nation  to  a  confederacy,  of  an  independent  language,  reach- 
ing from  Lake  Superior  south  to  the  Red  river,  and  com- 
posed of  the  Winnebagoes,  Menominies,  lowas,  Missouris, 
Osages,  Kansas,  Quapaws,  Ottoes,  Omahas,  Ponkas,  and 
Meandans,  and  perhaps  some  others. 

On  this  subject  the  Rev.  William  Hamilton,  who  had 
previously  for  fifteen  years  been  a  missionary  among  the 
lowas,  and  had  published  a  grammar  of  their  language,  in 
answer  to  questions  from  H.  R.  Schoolcraft,  wrote  that 
gentleman  in  about  1853  as  follows :  "  There  is  no  more 
difference  between  the  language  of  the  lowas,  Otoes,  and 
Menominies,  than  between  the  language  of  a  New  Eng- 
lander  and  Southerner.  A  few  words  are  common  to  one 
tribe,  and  not  to  the  other.  They  say  the  Winnebago  is  the 


WINNEBAGO  CONFEDERACY.  183 

first  language.  This  may  be  true ;  if  so,  the  Iowa,  Otoe, 
and  Missouri  language  would  be  one  dialect ;  the  Omahas 
and  Ponka  another ;  the  Konza,  Osage,  Quapaw,  and 
Ahachae  (a  band  of  the  Osages)  another ;  or,  perhaps,  the 
Omahas,  Pongkaws  (Poncas,)  Konzas,  etc.,  might  all  be 
called  one  dialect."  ..."  The  Osage,  Konza,  Quapaw, 
etc.,  are  the  same  language.  The  Omaha  and  Ponka  are 
the  same.  Some  say  there  is  no  difference  between  the 
language  of  the  first  and  last  named ;  others  say  there  is 
some  difference.  I  inquired  of  a  Konza  Indian,  not  long 
since,  who  said  they  were  the  same :  he  could  understand 
all  the  Omaha.  Many  words  of  the  Winnebagoes  are  the 
same  in  Iowa ;  so  some  of  the  old  men  who  speak  Win- 
nebago  tell  me."  (See  History  of  the  Indian  Tribes,  by 
Schoolcraft.  Part  IV.,  pages  405  and  406.) 

In  the  same  volume,  at  page  227,  J.  E.  Fletcher,  Esq., 
Indian  agent  to  the  Winnebagoes,  writes :  "  The  Winne- 
bagoes claim  that  they  are  an  original  stock;  and  that  the 
Missouris,  lowas,  Otoes,  and  Omahas  sprung  from  them. 
These  Indians  call  the  Winnebagoes  their  elder  brothers ; 
and  the  similarity  of  their  language  renders  it  probable  that 
they  belong  to  the  same  stock.  Even  in  1670  the  Winne- 
bagoes told  Rev.  Father  Allouez  that  "  there  were  only 
certain  people  of  the  south-west  who  spoke  as  they  did." 

To  this  testimony  we  may  add  that  of  Mr.  Saterlee  Clark, 
an  old  Winnebago  trader,  and  one  of  the  few  who  ever 
learned  that  language,  that  he  could  converse  with  and 
understand  the  lowas,  and  that  the  lowas  called  themselves 
O-chunk-o-raws ;  the  late  statement  of  the  Winnebagoes  to 
General  Sully,  that  they  spoke  the  same  language  as  the 
Omahas ;  and  the  further  statement  of  James  Reed,  Esq., 
of  Trempealeau  county,  Wisconsin,  to  the  writer,  that  he 
had  not  been  able  even  to  learn  the  Winnebago  language, 
on  account  of  its  being  so  deeply  guttural,  notwithstand- 
ing he  had  many  years  spoken  Sioux,  been  a  farmer  and 
trader  amongst  them,  and  had  a  cousin  of  the  Chief 


184  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

Wabasha  as  his  wife.  This,  we  imagine,  makes  a  strong 
case  against  the  assertion  that  the  Winnebago  is  only  a 
dialect  of  the  Sioux. 

When  Sieur  Nicolet  assembled  four  or  five  thousand  of 
Winnebagoes,  Sioux,  Illinois,  and  Potowatomies,  at  Green 
Bay,  in  1639,  for  a  general  council,  is  it  not  probable  that 
there  came  also  the  Menominies,  lowas,  Osages,  and  other 
kindred  bands  of  the  Winnebagoes,  and  from  their  numbers 
he  correctly  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  Winnebagoes 
were  "  sedentary  and  very  numerous  ?"  They  then  evidently 
occupied  the  territory  from  near  Mackinaw  south-west  to 
the  Red  river,  extending  east  as  far  as  the  Illinois  river,  the 
Mississippi,  and  the  lower  Ohio  valley.  For  over  thirty 
years  later,  and  after  the  advent  of  the  fugitive  Algonquins, 
the  eight  Illinois  bands  were  on  Illinois  river  as  their  real 
homes,  although  Marquette,  June  25th,  1673,  found  the 
Peorias  on  the  Mississippi  when  descending  the  river  ;  but 
they  had  returned  to  the  Illinois  when  he  came  back,  some 
two  months  after.  Rev.  Father  Allouez  also  found  the 
Illinois  on  the  Illinois  river  in  167V.  Thus  was  evidently 
situated  the  Winnebago  confederacy  in  1639,  "  sedentary 
and  very  numerous." 


The  traditions  of  the  0-chunJc-o-raw,  claim  that  that  tribe 
was  created  at  the  Moke-kaw-shoots-raw,  or  red  earth 
banks,  on  the  south  shore  of  Green  Bay.  They  were  known 
to  the  Algonquin  tribe  by  the  name  of  "  Winnebagoee,"  or 
people  of  the  salt  water  ;  and  as  the  Algonquin  word  for 
salt  water  and  stinking  water  was  the  same,  the  French 
gave  them  the  name  of  La  Puants,  or  stinkards.  They, 
however,  call  themselves  the  0-chunJc-o-raw. 

This  tribe  was  spoken  of  by  Sieur  Champlain,  who  visited 
Lake  Huron  in  1615,  and  the  novelty  of  their  name  probably 
induced  the  French  Governor  of  Canada  to  send  Sieur 
Nicolet,  his  Indian  interpreter,  to  visit  them  in  1639,  m 


O-CHUNK-O-BAW.  185 

hopes  of  discovering  the  western  ocean.  They  continued 
to  occupy  Green  Bay,  Fox  river,  and  Lake  Winnebago,  until 
modern  times,  and  were  generally  allies  of  the  Sacs  and 
Foxes  in  the  old  Indian  wars.  They  were,  after  1*754,  allies 
of  the  French  while  they  held  Canada  ;  and  afterwards  of 
the  British,  until  the  close  of  the  war  of  1812. 

In  1816  the  United  States  concluded  a  treaty  of  peace 
with  the  Portage  band,  under  the  chief  Choo-ke-kaw,  or  the 
Ladle ;  more  commonly  known  by  his  French  name,  "  De 
Carry."  This  band  agreed  to  separate  themselves  from  the 
balance  of  the  tribe  until  they  made  a  treaty  of  peace  also, 
and  delivered  up  their  prisoners.  The  O-chunk-o-raws 
joined  the  tribes  at  the  great  council  with  the  United  States, 
held  at  Prairie  Du  Chien,  August  19th,  1825.  The  treaty 
concluded  at  this  council,  defined  the  boundary  of  the 
Winnebago  territory  as  follows :  "  It  is  agreed  between 
the  Winnebagoes  and  the  Sioux,  Sacs  and  Foxes,  Chippe- 
ways  and  Ottawas,  and  Chippeways  and  Potowatomies  of 
the  Illinois,  that  the  Winnebago  country  shall  be  bounded 
as  follows :  South-easterly  by  Rock  river,  from  its  source, 
near  the  Winnebago  lake,  to  the  Winnebago  village,  about 
forty  miles  above  its  mouth  ;  westerly,  by  the  east  line  of 
the  tract  lying  upon  the  Mississippi,  herein  secured  to 
the  Ottawas,  Chippeways  and  Potowatomies,  of  the  Illinois ; 
and  also  by  the  high  bluff  described  in  the  Sioux  boundary, 
and  running  north  to  Black  river;  from  this  point,  the 
Winnebagoes  claim  up  Black  river  to  a  point  due  west  from 
the  source  of  the  left  fork  of  the  Ouisconsin  ;  thence  to  the 
source  of  said  fork,  and  down  the  same  to  the  Ouisconsin  ; 
thence  down  the  Ouisconsin  to  the  Portage,  and  across 
the  Portage  to  Fox  river ;  thence  down  Fox  river  to  the 
Winnebago  lake,  and  to  the  grand  J£au-kaulin,  including 
in  their  claim  the  whole  of  Winnebago  lake."  The  line 
mentioned  as  secured  to  the  Ottawas,  etc.,  extended  from 
the  Wisconsin  river  south,  along  "  the  sources  of  the  small 
streams  running  into  the  Mississippi."  The  Sioux  claimed 
12* 


186  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

to  the  bluffs  east  of  the  Mississippi  from  opposite  the  mouth 
of  Iowa  river,  to  the  mouth  of  Black  river.  By  the  treaty 
of  August  11,  1827,  between  the  United  States  and  the 
Chippeways,  Menominies  and  Winnebagoes,  our  govern- 
ment stipulated  that  "the  sum  of  $1,000  shall  be  annually 
appropriated  for  the  term  of  three  years ;  and  the  sum  of 
$1,500  shall  be  annually  thereafter  appropriated  as  long  as 
Congress  think  proper,  for  the  education  of  the  children  of 
the  tribes  parties  thereto,  and  of  the  New  York  Indians  near 
Green  Bay,  to  be  expended  under  the  direction  of  the 
President  of  the  United  States." 

In  1827  a  difficulty  broke  out  between  the  Winnebagoes 
and  Chippeways,  which  came  near  involving  the  whites  in 
a  war.  It  appears  that  some  Winnebagoes  attacked  and 
killed  eight  Chippeways  near  Fort  Snelling,  whereupon  the 
commandant  of  that  fort  took  four  of  the  offending  Winne- 
bagoes, and  delivered  them  to  the  Chippeways,  who  imme- 
diately put  them  to  death.  Red  Bird's  band  soon  after 
attacked  two  keel  boats  at  the  mouth  of  Coon  Slough,  on 
the  Mississippi,  killing  two,  and  wounding  six  whites ;  while 
Red  Bird  himself  killed  two  whites  at  Prairie  Du  Chien. 
The  alarm  spread  to  the  miners  who  were  digging  lead 
north  of  Galena,  who  fled  to  that  town,  and  immediately 
organized  for  war,  electing  General  Dodge  for  their  com- 
mander. General  Atkinson,  with  a  small  force  of  regular 
troops,  marched  up  the  Wisconsin  river,  and,  being  joined 
by  the  miners,  under  General  Dodge,  advanced  to  attack 
the  Winnebagoes  in  force  at  the  Portage  ;  but  on  the  arrival 
of  the  troops  at  that  place,  the  Winnebagoes  sent  a  flag  and 
delivered  up  Red  Bird,  and  'six  others,  as  the  guilty  parties, 
which  ended  the  war. 

The  following  year  the  United  States  made  an  attempt  to 
purchase  the  Winnebago  lands,  including  the  lead  mines, 
and  failed ;  but  by  the  treaty  at  Prairie  Du  Chien,  concluded 
August  1,  1829,  the  tribe  ceded  their  territory  south  of  the 
Wisconsin  river,  and  west  of  a  line  running  south  from 


O-OnUNK-O-KAW.  IP*' 

/» 

Lake  Puckaway,  by  Duck  creek,  Fourth  lake,  near  Madis«,9J, 
Sugar  river,  and  Pee-kee-tol-a-ka,  by  which  the  Winnebago 
interest  in  the  mines  was  secured  to  the  United  States. 
The  consideration  for  the  territory  purchased  was  $8,000 
paid  annually  for  thirty  years  ;  $30,000  in  goods  paid  down, 
and  3,000  pounds  of  tobacco,  and  fifty  barrels  of  salt  deliv- 
ered annually  for  thirty  years. 

By  the  treaty  of  September  15,  1832,  the  Winnebagoes 
ceded  to  the  United  States  all  the  balance  of  their  lands 
south  of  the  Wisconsin  and  Fox  rivers,  for  which  the  gov- 
ernment gave  them  an  interest  in  the  "  neutral  grounds " 
west  of  the  Mississippi,  an  annual  annuity  for  twenty-seven 
successive  years,  of  $10,000,  and  further  agreed  to  establish 
and  maintain  a  school  at  Prairie  Du  Chien  for  twenty-seven 
years,  at  an  annual  expense  not  exceeding  $3,000  ;  support 
six  agriculturalists  for  twenty-seven  years ;  pay  not  exceed- 
ing $2,500  for  twelve  yoke  of  oxen  and  agricultural  imple- 
ments; pay  the  Rock  river  band  1,500  pounds  of  tobacco 
per  annum ;  and  pay  $200  per  annum  each,  for  the  services 
of  two  physicians,  one  stationed  at  Fort  Winnebago,  and 
the  other  at  Prairie  du  Chien.  The  treaty  contained  some 
small  grants  of  land  to  half-breeds,  and  required  the  tribe  to 
surrender  eight  Indians,  charged  with  the  murder  of  some 
whites  in  the  Black  Hawk  war. 

By  another  treaty,  of  the  first  of  November,  1837,  the 
Winnebagoes  ceded  to  the  United  States  all  the  balance  of 
their  territory  on  the  east  side  of  the  Mississippi  river,  anu.r 
certain  interests  on  the  west  side,  for  which  our  government 
paid  $1,500,000.  Of  this  amount,  $100,000  was  to  be  ex- 
pended in  goods,  horses,  provisions,  opening  farms,  and 
expenses  of  the  removal  of  the  Indians  west  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, where  the  tribe  engaged  to  go  in  eight  months  after 
the  ratification  of  the  treaty.  However,  they  did  not  per- 
form that  agreement  until  1840. 

The  eighth  treaty  with  the  Winnebagoes,  was  made  at 
Washington,  D.  C.,  October  13,  1846,  by  which  the  tribe 


UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

Ji^ct  «ndered  all  their  interests  in  lands  in  the  United  States, 
vhich  the  United  States  engaged  to  give  the  tribe  800,000 
l.'i'es  of  land  north  of  the  St.  Peters,  or  Minnesota  river,  for 
j>  residence,  and  pay  in  addition,  $190,000.  Under  this 
treaty,  the  chiefs  of  the  tribe  selected  a  tract  of  country 
north  of  the  Watab,  but  the  tribe  were  generally  dissatisfied 
with  the  location,  and  the  most  of  them  remained  scattered 
about  the  country.  In  1853  a  new  treaty  was  made,  by 
which  they  were  allowed  to  change  their  location  to  the 
Crow  river ;  but  the  ratification  of  this  treaty  was  refused 
on  the  remonstrance  of  the  people  of  Minnesota.  The 
matter  was  compromised  by  the  United  States,  and  in 
February,  1855,  the  chiefs  were  permitted  to  select  their 
lands  on  the  Blue  Earth  river,  south  of  the  Minnesota. 
Here  the  tribe  settled  the  same  spring,  highly  satisfied  with 
their  land,  and  immediately  commenced  building  houses  and 
improving  land.  So  well  had  they  succeeded,  that  the  gov- 
ernment agent  at  St.  Paul,  in  1860,  reported  of  them  as 
follows :  "  There  have  been  raised  by  individual  Indians  as 
high  as  sixty  acres  of  wheat  alone  on  a  single  farm.  The 
reservation  presents  the  appearance  of  as  much  improve- 
ment as  the  surrounding  country ;  and  in  fact,  when  viewing 
the  comfortable  log  and  frame  houses  that  dot  the  reserva- 
tion as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach,  it  presents  a  far  different 
scene  than  is  usual  to  be  found  upon  Indian  reservations, 
for  wigwams  are  becoming  as  rare  as  houses  were  but  two 
k  -ars  since." 

The  same  year  the  teacher  of  the  school  reported  118 

mpils  enrolled,  of  which  sixty -two  were  males,  and  fifty-six 

females ;  that  they  were  instructed  in  the  ordinary  English 

branches,  and  had  "  as  much  educational  capacity  as  can 

be  found  in  any  school  of  an  equal  size." 

But  in  the  midst  of  their  prosperity,  when  their  civiliza- 
tion had  become  almost  a  certainty,  the  occurrence  of  the 
"  Sioux  massacre,"  in  June,  1862,  dashed  their  fond  hopes 
to  the  ground.  Notwithstanding  the  Winnebagoes  took  no 


O-CHtnSTK-O-EAW.  189 

part  with  the  Sioux  in  that  affair,  but  offered  the  services  of 
their  warriors  to  our  government,  to  help  punish  that  rebel- 
lious nation,  yet  the  exasperated  inhabitants  of  Minnesota 
demanded  the  removal  of  the  Winnebagoes,  and  Congress, 
by  a  special  act,  directed  the  President  to  transport  them  to 
the  Missouri  river  with  the  friendly  Sioux.  Accordingly, 
in  May  and  June,  1863,  without  any  treaty,  they  were  loaded 
upon  steamers  and  taken  to  the  Missouri  river,  where,  in 
the  language  of  a  missionary  to  the  writer,  "  they  were,  like 
the  Sioux,  dumped  in  the  desert  one  hundred  miles  above 
Fort  Randall."  When  the  purposes  of  government  became 
known  to  the  tribe,  the  old  chiefs,  De  Carry,  Winneshiek, 
Dandy  and  their  families,  and  some  others,  fled  to  Wiscon- 
sin, where,  near  the  tunnel,  in  the  fall  of  1864,  the  venerable 
old  chief,  De  Carry,  who  captured  Black  Hawk  in  1832, 
and  sent  him  to  the  government  agent  at  Prairie  Du  Chien, 
died  in  poverty.  He  was  very  old,  but  remarkably  intelli- 
gent, and  was  grandson  of  Ho-po-ko-e-kaw,  or  Glory  of  the 
Morning,  the  chieftess  of  the  tribe  when  visited  by  Captain 
Cai'ver  in  1766,  and  of  her  French  husband  De  Carry,  who 
was  mortally  wounded  at  Quebec  near  the  close  of  the  old 
French  and  Indian  war.  In  1862  the  writer  spent  several 
days  with  him,  taking  notes  of  his  family  and  tribe,  while 
his  family  were  gathering  their  summer  harvest  of  berries 
near  Mont  Trempealeau. 

Soon  after  the  Winnebagoes  were  landed  at  Crow  creek, 
Dakota  territory,  they  pronounced  the  country  not  fit  for 
cultivation,  and  were  greatly  dissatisfied.  They  soon  com- 
menced the  manufacture  of  canoes,  to  return  down  the 
river.  Brigadier-General  Sully  visited  their  reservation, 
and  July  15,  1863,  sent  a  dispatch  to  General  Pope,  in 
which  he  remarked :  "  I  find  both  tribes  (Sioux  and  Win- 
nebagoes) very  discontented,  and  if  troops  are  not  constantly 
kept  here,  I  think  there  will  be  trouble. 

"  The  Winnebagoes  I  find  hard  at  work  making  canoes, 
with  the  intention  of  quitting  the  agency  and  going  to  join 


190  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

the  Omahas,  or  some  other  tribes  down  the  river.  I  had  a 
council  with  them  yesterday,  in  which  they  said  they  had 
been  promised,  when  they  left  their  last  reservation,  to  be 
settled  on  the  Big  Sioux  river.  How  true  that  is  I  can  not 
say. 

"  They  also  stated  that  nothing  would  grow  here.  They 
dare  not  go  out  to  hunt,  for  fear  of  the  other  tribes,  and 
they  would  all  starve  to  death.  This  I  believe  to  be  true, 
without  the  government  intends  to  ration  them  ah1  the  time. 
The  land  is  dry,  sandy,  and  parched  up." 

In  a  letter  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  dated  the  fol- 
lowing day,  General  Sully  remarked : 

"  I  state  this  from  my  own  knowledge  of  the  country. 
The  land  is  poor ;  a  low,  sandy  soil.  I  don't  think  you  can 
depend  on  a  crop  of  corn  even  once  in  five  years,  as  it 
seldom  rains  here  in  the  summer.  There  is  no  hunting  in 
their  immediate  vicinity,  and  the  bands  of  Sioux  near  here 
are  hostile  to  them. 

"  They  (the  Winnebagoes)  tell  me  they  are  friends  of  the 
Omahas,  and  speak  nearly  the  same  language.  It  is  their 
wish  to  be  united  with  them  on  the  Omaha  reservation,  and, 
as  they  say,  the  Omahas  are  in  favor  of  this  also. 

"  Their  last  removal  from  Minnesota  was  hard  for  them, 
for  they  were  not  implicated  in  the  late  massacre,"  etc. 

The  Indian  agent  for  the  Omahas,  October  16th,  1863, 
reported  the  continued  arrival  of  small  parties  of  "Winne- 
bagoes at  that  reservation  in  a  destitute  condition,  and  he 
was  soon  after  instructed  from  Washington  to  provide  for 
all  that  arrived.  In  September,  1864,  over  1,200  had 
arrived,  and  the  agent,  with  the  consent  of  the  Omahas, 
had  assigned  them  a  tract  of  land  for  temporary  cultivation, 
and  they  had  harvested  one  hundred  acres  of  corn. 

Soon  after  this,  the  Winnebagoes  contracted  with  the 
Omahas  for  nearly  one-third  of  their  reservation,  at  about 
thirty-nine  cents  an  acre,  of  which  the  Indian  agent  said, 
September  15th,  1865  :  "  If  this  agreement  be  ratified  by 


O-CHUNK-O-RAW.  191 

the  Senate,  the  coining  winter  they  will  become  possessed 
of  lands  (two  hundred  and  forty  sections)  ample  in  extent 
for  all  the  purposes  of  the  tribe,  abounding  in  wood  and 
water,  and  for  agricultural  purposes  equal  to  the  best  farm- 
ing lands  in  Nebraska."  This  contract  was  finally  ratified 
by  the  United  States  government. 

Speaking  generally  of  the  Winnebagoes,  the  Indian  super- 
intendent of  the  Northern  department,  in  September,  1865, 
said :  "  I  cannot  too  strongly  recommend  this  unfortunate 
and  much-abused  tribe  to  the  fostering  care  and  protection 
of  the  department.  Hurried  from  their  comfortable  homes 
in  Minnesota,  in  1863,  and  located  at  the  Crow  Creek 
agency,  where  it  is  impossible,  one  year  in  six,  to  raise  a 
crop,  either  of  corn,  wheat  or  potatoes,  they  have  suffered 
more  than  any  other  tribe  in  the  country.  They  are  now 
subsisted  by  government  on  the  Omaha  reservation,  in 
Nebraska,  whither  they  have  all  sought  refuge  to  escape 
starvation ;  and,  under  the  most  favorable  auspices,  they 
must  continue  a  charge  upon  the  government  to  a  greater 
or  less  extent,  for  nearly  two  years  to  come." 

The  superintendent,  in  his  August,  1865,  report,  again 
speaking  of  the  same  tribe,  remarked :  "  This  tribe  is 
characterized  by  frugality,  thrift,  and  industry  to  an  extent 
unequaled  by  any  other  tribe  of  Indians  in  the  north-west. 
Loyal  to  the  government  and  peaceful  towards  their  neigh- 
bors, they  are  entitled  to  the  fostering  care  of  the  general 
government." 

The  removal  and  unsettled  condition  of  the  Winnebagoes 
broke  up  their  schools  and  religious  instruction,  and  in 
December,  1864,  thirty-eight  chiefs  and  head  men,  at  their 
Omaha  residence,  petitioned  their  "  Father,"  the  President, 
among  other  things,  as  follows :  "  It  is  our  sincere  desire 
to  have  again  established  among  us  such  schools  as  we  see 
in  operation  among  your  Omaha  children.  Father,  as  soon 
as  you  find  a  permanent  home  for  us,  will  you  not  do  this 
for  us  ?  And,  Father,  as  we  would  like  our  children  taught 


192  UPPEB  MISSISSIPPI. 

the  Christian  religion,  as  before,  we  would  like  our  school 
placed  under  the  care  of  the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Foreign 
Missions.  And  last,  Father,  to  show  you  our  sincerity,  we 
desire  to  have  set  apart  for  its  establishment,  erection,  and 
support,  all  of  our  school  funds,  and  whatever  more  is 
necessary." 

The  population  of  this  tribe  has  been  variously  estimated 
at  different  periods.  Thus  we  find  in  a  French  document, 
that  they  had  two  hundred  and  thirty  warriors  in  1736; 
according  to  Sir  William  Johnson,  in  1763  they  had  in- 
ci*eased  to  360;  Captain  Carver,  in  1766-,  reduced  the 
number  to  200.  By  a  census  of  the  tribe  in  1859,  they 
were  found  to  number  2,256  souls,  of  which  1,055  were 
males,  and  1,201  females;  but  by  the  census  of  1865, 
the  whole  number  had  diminished  to  1,900.  The  latter 
census  probably  did  not  include  the  stragglers  in  Wisconsin, 
which  were  still  there  in  1866.  They  have  been  a  vigorous, 
athletic  race,  and  received  from  the  Sioux  a  name,  O-ton- 
kah,  which  is  said  to  mean,  when  interpreted,  "  the  large 
and  strong  people." 

In  the  spring  of  1866,  the  Winnebagoes  finally  settled  on 
their  Omaha  reservation,  and  commenced  building  houses, 
of  which  they  had  been  destitute  three  years ;  they  also  put 
on  white  men's  clothing,  and  have  cheerfully  settled  down, 
hoping  to  have  a  permanent  home. 

The  agent,  in  his  report  of  August  20, 1866,  said :  "  There 
has  returned  to  the  tribe,  within  the  past  few  weeks,  about 
100  soldiers,  who  have  served  with  credit  to  themselves  and 
to  their  tribe,  in  the  defense  of  their  country.  I  consider 
the  Winnebagoes  one  of  the  best  tribes  of  Indians  in  the 
country,  and  with  proper  treatment,  they  will  soon  become 
a  self-sustaining,  prosperous  and  happy  people." 

By  the  treaty  with  the  United  States,  ratified  and  pro- 
claimed March  28,  1866,  the  Winnebagoes  released  their 
Crow  creek  reservation,  and  accepted  their  Omaha  reserva- 
tion, paid  for  by  the  United  States.  They  also  were  to 


O-CHTTNK-O-EAW.  193 

receive  100  cows,  400  horses,  20  yoke  of  oxen,  and  wagons  ; 
have  a  steam  saw  and  grist  mill,  and  necessary  buildings 
for  a  complete  agency  erected,  and  are  to  be  paid  the 
expenses  of  removal  and  subsistence  for  one  year. 
13 


CHAPTER  X. 


THE   WINNEBAGO    CONFEDERACY  —  CONCLUDED. 


MENOMTNIES. 

This  tribe  early  occupied  the  country  between  Green  Bay 
and  Lake  Superior,  and,  anterior  to  the  advent  of  the  whites, 
were  quite  powerful ;  but  having  become  involved  in  a  war 
with  the  Chippeways,  the  Rev.  Father  Allouez,  who  visited 
them  May  6,  1670,  said  they  were  then  "  almost  extermi- 
nated." The  date  of  this  war  is  not  given,  but  it  probably 
occurred  after  the  Algonquin  nations  and  Hurons  had  been 
driven  west  by  the  Iroquois;  that  is,  after  about  1652  or 
1653.  Nicolet  spoke  of  the  Noquet,  who  inhabited  the  south 
shore  of  Lake  Superior  in  1639,  but  were  at  the  Great  and 
Little  Bay  De  Noquet  in  1659.  This  tribe  might  have  been 
only  a  band  of  the  Menominies,  and  were  probably  involved 
in  the  same  war  with  that  tribe,  against  the  Chippeways. 
What  became  of  the  Noquets  is  not  known,  but  they  disap- 
peared from  history  early  in  the  eighteenth  century,  and 
probably  were  merged  in  the  Menominies,  who  subsequently 
occupied  their  territory  at  Bay  De  Noquet.  Their  name, 
Menominie,  or  "  the  Wild  Rice  People,"  was  of  the  Algon- 
quin language,  but  by  the  French  they  were  called,  Folles 
Avoines,  or  the  Wild  Oats  People. 

The  first  treaty  between  this  tribe  and  the  United  States, 
eifecting  a  cession  of  territory  to  the  latter,  was  that  of 
August  11,  1827",  by  which  it  was  provided  as  follows : 

"AETICLE  3.    It  being  important  to  the  settlement  of 


MBNOMINIES.  195 

Green  Bay  that  definite  boundaries  should  be  established 
between  the  tract  claimed  by  the  former  French  and  British 
governments,  and  the  lands  of  the  Indians,  as  well  to  avoid 
future  disputes  as  to  settle  the  question  of  jurisdiction,  it  is 
therefore  agreed  between  the  Menominie  tribe  and  the 
United  States,  that  the  boundaries  of  the  said  tracts,  the 
jurisdiction  and  title  of  which  are  hereby  acknowledged  to 
be  in  the  United  States,  shall  be  as  follows :  namely,  begin- 
ning on  the  shore  of  Green  Bay,  six  miles  due  north  from 
the  parallel  of  the  mouth  of  Fox  river,  and  running  thence 
in  a  straight  line,  but  with  the  general  course  of  the  said 
river,  and  six  miles  therefrom  to  the  intersection  of  the 
continuation  of  the  westerly  boundary  of  the  tract  of  the 
Grand  Kaukaulin,  claimed  by  Augustin  Grignon ;  thence  on 
a  line  with  the  said  boundary  to  the  same ;  thence  with  the 
same  to  Fox  river ;  thence  on  the  same  course,  six  miles ; 
thence  in  a  direct  line  to  the  south-west  boundary  of  the 
tract,  marked  on  the  plan  of  the  claims  at  Green  Bay,  as 
the  settlement  at  the  bottom  of  the  Bay ;  thence  with  the 
southerly  boundary  of  the  said  tract  to  the  south-easterly 
corner  thereof;  and  thence  with  the  easterly  boundary  of 
the  said  tract  to  Green  Bay." 

"In  consideration  of  the  liberal  establishment  of  the 
boundaries,  as  herein  provided  for,"  the  United  States  shall 
pay  in  goods,  $15,682  ;  $1,000  annually  for  three  years,  and 
$500  annually,  "  as  long  as  Congress  shall  think  proper,  for 
the  education  of  the  children  of  the  tribes,  parties  hereto, 
and  of  the  New  York  Indians."  This  latter  appropriation 
included  the  Winnebagoes  and  Chippeways,  and  the  New 
York  Indians  then  settled  near  Green  Bay. 

By  another  treaty,  February  8,  1831,  the  Menominies 
ceded  to  the  United  States  their  territory  south-east  of  Fox 
river  and  Green  Bay,  and  east  of  Lake  Winnebago,  extend- 
ing south  to  the  "Milwauky,  or  Manawauky  river,"  and 
extending  east  to  Lake  Michigan,  estimated  at  2,500,000 
acres,  of  which  tract  three  townships  of  land  on  the  east 


196  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

side  of  Lake  "Winnebago  were  assigned  to  the  Stockbridge, 
Munsee,  and  Brothertown  Indians. 

The  Menominics  also,  for  the  location  of  "the  Six 
Nations  of  the  New  York  Indians,  and  St.  Regis  tribe," 
gave  500,000  acres  north  of  the  Fox  river,  for  which 
cessions  of  territory  the  United  States  paid  a  fair  consider- 
ation in  money,  goods,  annuities,  farm  stock,  and  erection 
of  houses,  mills,  etc.  The  original  treaty  was  subsequently, 
on  the  27th  of  October,  1832,  by  a  new  treaty,  somewhat 
modified  in  the  boundary  for  the  Six  Nations.  By  the  treaty 
of  September  3,  1836,  they  also  further  ceded  the  southern 
portion  of  their  territory,  east  from  Wolf  river  to  their 
eastern  boundary  line  between  the  Little  and  Great  Bay  De 
Noquet,  a  strip  of  land  three  miles  wide  on  each  side  of  the 
Wisconsin  river,  from  near  the  Portage  north,  forty-eight 
miles,  containing  eight  townships,  for  which  the  tribe 
received  a  large  increase  of  annuities,  and  the  payment  of 
goods  and  the  Indians'  debts  to  the  traders. 

By  the  treaty  of  October  18,  1848,  the  Menominies  ceded 
to  the  United  States  all  the  balance  of  their  lands  in  Wis- 
consin, for  which  the  United  States  gave  them  a  reservation 
above  the  Crow  Wing  river,  on  the  upper  Mississippi,  of 
600,000  acres,  and  $300,000,  and  the  tribe  engaged  to 
remove  accordingly. 

On  the  examination  of  this  tract,  the  Indians  being 
opposed  to  removing  to  it,  the  United  States,  May  12,  1854, 
accepted  a  recession  of  it,  and  gave  the  tribe  a  reservation 
on  their  old  lands,  of  townships  twenty-eight,  twenty-nine, 
and  thirty,  north  of  ranges  thirteen,  fourteen,  fifteen,  and 
sixteen  east,  containing  432  square  miles.  For  the  difierence 
between  the  two  reservations,  the  United  States  gave  them 
$242,686,  in  fifteen  annual  installments,  commencing  in  1867. 

They  moved  on  to  their  reservation  and  commenced 
improvements,  and  the  following  year  the  Indian  agent 
reported  that  a  majority  of  the  Indians  had  adopted  the 
American  dress,  and  wore  the  coat  and  pantaloons.  Osh- 


MENOMENTES.  197 

kosh,  the  head  chief,  who  had  resisted  the  civilization  of  the 
tribe,  this  year,  seeing  the  advancement  of  the  civilized  over 
the  uncivilized  Indians,  gave  in  his  influence  for  civilization. 

The  industrial  school  in  1855,  under  the  care  of  Jane 
Dousman,  manufactured  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight 
coats,  two  hundred  and  eighteen  pants,  one  hundred  and 
sixty-five  shirts,  one  hundred  and  thirty-seven  gowns,  and 
forty-one  pairs  of  socks  and  stockings.  The  school-houses 
being  temporary  shanties,  the  progress  was  slow  in  that 
department ;  but  seventy -five  male  and  fifty-two  female 
children  attended  during  the  year.  During  the  year,  "  five 
of  the  girls,"  said  the  teacher,  "  have  left  school,  and  have 
married,  and  are  doing  very  well.  I  am  happy  to  state 
they  are  good  housekeepers,  having  been  taught  the  more 
substantial  branches  of  domestic  work." 

In  1853  the  whole  tribe  numbered  2,708,  and  had  much 
diminished  from  1825,  when  they- were  estimated  by  the 
Secretary  of  War  at  4,170,  of  course  an  over-estimate.  In 
1865,  the  whole  tribe  numbered  886  males  and  993  females 
—  total,  1,879  souls.  They  continued  to  reside  on  their 
reservation  of  230,400  acres,  but  suffered  considerably  by 
the  small-pox,  having  lost  seventy-nine  by  death.  They 
raised  150  bushels  of  wheat,  1,600  of  corn,  550  of  rye,  and 
3,975  of  potatoes,  and  some  other  articles,  and  manufactured 
90,000  pounds  of  maple  sugar. 

The  educational  and  religious  interests  of  the  tribe  are 
under  the  direction  of  the  Catholics,  but,  unfortunately,  for 
the  last  two  or  three  years,  a  collision  has  occurred  between 
the  teachers  of  the  schools  and  their  priests,  which  led  to  the 
dismissal  of  the  old  priest  for  licentiousness  and  drunken- 
ness. His  successor  gave  offense  by  advising  the  Indians 
not  to  send  their  children  to  school,  and  was  ordered  off 
the  reservation.  A  third,  in  1865,  took  the  dead  bodies  of 
those  who  died  with  small-pox  into  the  church,  and  was 
run  out  of  the  county  by  the  sheriff.  The  teachers  of  the 
schools  are  Catholics,  and  have  long  been  connected  with 


198  UPPEK  MISSISSIPPI. 

the  educational  and  religious  interests  of  the  tribe.  To 
their  untiring  zeal  is  attributed  the  partial  civilization  of  the 
tribe ;  nearly  two-thirds  being  Catholics,  and  the  balance 
pagans. 

The  two  schools  have  had  about  one  hundred  scholars 
annually  for  several  years,  and  the  pupils  are  represented  as 
having  made  good  progress  in  their  studies.  The  sewing 
school,  in  1865,  notwithstanding  the  delays  on  account  of 
the  small-pox,  manufactured  twenty-six  coats,  seventy  pants, 
forty-tAVO  shirts,  thirty  dresses,  thirty-nine  skirts,  thirty-nine 
gowns,  and  socks  and  stockings  one  pair  each. 

The  tribe  has  put  into  the  Union  army  during  the  war 
one  hundred  and  twenty-five  soldiers,  one-third  of  whom, 
were  killed  in  battle  or  died  in  hospital. 

Intemperance  has  not  been  as  pi-evalent  as  formerly,  but 
still  leads  to  difficulty,  and  some  guilty  whites  have  been 
indicted  by  the  United  States  court. 

The  principal  drawback  on  the  civilization  of  the  tribe  is 
the  poor  quality  of  the  soil  of  the  reservation ;  much  of  it 
being  sandy,  black  oak,  barren ;  but  there  are  some  rich 
timber  lands,  which  the  agent  has  urged  the  Indians  to 
occupy  for  farms,  and  which  will  probably  soon  be  occupied 
instead  of  the  barrens. 

The  United  States  owe  the  Menominies  two  annual  appro- 
priations of  $916.66,  for  smith's  shop,  etc. ;  $3,000  balance 
to  pay  millers;  and  $242,686,  divided  into  fifteen  equal 
installments,  to  commence  in  1867. 

The  report  of  agent  Martin,  in  September,  1866,  repre- 
sents the  Menominies  as  "  very  kind  and  tractable  in  their 
dispositions,  easily  controlled,  and  many  of  their  chiefs 
manifesting  a  strong  desire  to  have  their  children  in- 
structed ;"  that  their  "  schools  could  not,  in  my  judgment, 
be  improved ;"  that  their  reservation  was  "  perhaps  the 
worst  for  farming  purposes  in  this  State  ;"  and  that  "  it  is 
but  an  act  of  justice  to  Father  Cajetan,  the  Catholic  mis- 
sionary resident  at  Kenosha,  to  mention  his  constant  efforts, 


IOWAS.  199 

during  the  time  he  has  been  in  charge,  to  promote  the 
temporal  and  spiritual  interests  of  the  Indians,  and  the 
success  which  has  thus  far  attended  them." 


Of  the  O-chunk-o-raw  confederacy,  the  lowas  evidently 
occupied  northern  Iowa,  from  the  upper  Iowa  to  the  lower 
Iowa  river,  along  the  Mississippi;  but,  on  the  advent  of 
the  fugitive  Algonquins,  were  crowded  further  back,  and 
Le  Sueur  found  them,  in  1700,  occupying  the  territory  from 
the  south  bend  of  the  St.  Peter's  river,  extending  south 
towards  the  Missouri;  probably  along  the  Cedar,  lower 
Iowa  and  Des  Moines  rivers. 

When  the  warlike  Sacs  and  Foxes  had  conquered  and 
driven  south  the  northern  bands  of  the  Illinois,  they  extended 
their  conquests  into  the  present  State  of  Iowa,  and  drove 
back  the  lowas  and  other  tribes  of  the  Winnebago  con- 
federacy, and  took  possession  of  all  the  eastern  part  of  the 
beautiful  State.  In  this  war,  which  was  after  1760,  they 
were  assisted  by  the  Ottawas  of  Mackinaw,  and  many  of 
the  confederates  were  captured  and  became  slaves.  Mr. 
Grignon,  in  his  "  Recollections,"  says  he  knew  personally 
fourteen  of  these  slaves,  and  that  three  of  them  were  Osages, 
two  Missouris,  and  one  Mandan,  but  that  they  were  com- 
monly denominated  Pawnees. 

The  first  treaty  with  the  lowas  was  simply  a  treaty  of 
peace  and  for  the  delivery  of  prisoners,  made  September 
16th,  1815.  By  the  treaty  of  August  19th,  1825,  at  Prairie 
Du  Chien,  the  territory  of  the  lowas  was  not  defined,  but 
they  were  left  jointly  with  the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  and  some 
other  tribes,  in  the  possession  of  western  Iowa.  By  the 
treaty  of  July  15th,  1830,  the  lowas  and  other  tribes  cede 
to  the  United  States,  as  a  general  reservation,  for  the  loca- 
tion of  Indian  tribes,  the  country  from  the  Big  Sioux  to  the 
Missouri  State  line,  and  extending  east  from  the  Missouri 
and  Big  Sioux  to  the  dividing  waters  between  the  Missouri 


200  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

and  Des  Moines,  for  which  the  United  States  paid  the  lowas 
$2,500  annually  for  ten  years,  and  gave  them  an  assistant 
blacksmith,  and  six  hundred  dollars  in  agricultural  imple- 
ments. 

In  this  treaty,  the  lowas,  Omahas,  Ottoes,  and  Yankton 
and  Santee  bands  of  Sioux,  set  apart  a  tract  for  their  half- 
breeds,  "  Beginning  at  the  mouth  of  the  Little  Nemaha 
river,  and  running  up  the  main  channel  of  said  river  to  a 
point  which,  will  be  ten  miles  from  its  mouth,  in  a  direct 
line ;  from  thence,  in  a  direct  line,  to  strike  the  Grand 
Nemaha  ten  miles  from  above  its  mouth  in  a  direct  line  (the 
distance  between  the  two  Nernahas  being  about  twenty 
miles ;)  thence  down  said  river  to  its  mouth ;  thence  up, 
and  with  the  meanders  of  the  Missouri  river  to  the  point  of 
beginning." 

By  the  treaty  of  September  17th,  1836,  the  lowas  released 
their  claim  to  the  south  part  of  said  reservation,  now  incorpo- 
rated into  the  State  of  Missouri,  and  accepted  a  reservation 
on  the  west  side  of  the  Missouri  river,  of  two  hundred 
sections  on  the  "  Grand  Nemaha  river ;'"  and  by  another 
treaty  of  the  23rd  November,  1837,  the  lowas  relinquished 
all  the  balance  of  their  claim  to  land  on  the  east  side  of  the 
Missouri,  on  said  reservation,  for  the  consideration  of 
$2,500. 

The  last  treaty  would  seem  to  cover  all  their  claims 
on  the  United  States;  but  by  their  own  ingenuity,  or 
more  probably  by  that  of  their  traders,  diverse  claims  were 
made  by  the  lowas,  under  the  treaty  of  1824,  1825,  1830, 
and  1836,  and  to  satisfy  them,  and  assist  in  their  civilization, 
the  United  States,  by  another  treaty  of  the  19th  of  October, 
1838,  gave  the  lowas  $157,500,  to  be  invested  in  stocks 
paying  at  least  five  per  cent.,  the  interest  of  which  should 
annually  be  paid  to  the  tribe  as  long  as  it  exists ;  and  also 
erect  for  them  ten  houses.  These  payments,  however, 
included  the  annuities  to  be  paid  to  the  Indians  by  the  trea- 
ties before  mentioned. 


AKANSEA,  OR  QTJAPAWS.  201 

The  lowas,  iu  1865,  bad  limited  their  reservation,  by  a 
late  treaty,  to  twenty-five  sections,  which  are  well  watered, 
have  rich  soil,  and  plenty  of  timber,  and  are  situated  along 
the  south  side  of  the  Great  Nemaha,  extending  west  from 
the  Missouri  river. 

They  had  289  acres  under  cultivation,  and  have  91  horses, 
71  head  of  cattle,  210  hogs,  besides  agi'icultural  implements 
valued  at  $7,250.  Total  value,  $16,750,  besides  crops  raised. 
They  had  a  good  school,  averaging  about  thirty-eight 
scholars ;  but  it  does  not  receive  its  proper  consideration 
from  the  lowas. 

The  tribe  sent  forty-three  soldiers  to  the  war,  who  per- 
formed faithful  services  in  several  battles  and  severe  cam- 
paigns, principally  in  the  thirteenth  and  fourteenth  Kansas 
regiments. 

Their  agent,  September  1,  1865,  remarked,  in  his  report: 
"  They  may  be  seen  daily,  hauling  their  corn,  vegetables, 
wood,  etc.,  to  market,  and  returning  with"  flour,  meat,  coffee, 
sugar,  etc.,  which  they  have  received  in  exchange,  or  pur- 
chased with  the  proceeds  of  their  loads."  In  1866  they  had 
a  temperance  organization,  which  made  it  a  crime  to  get 
drunk  or  bring  spirits  on  the  reservation. 

In  1825  the  lowas  were  estimated  by  the  Secretary  of  War 
at  1,100.  In  1853  there  were  437,  and  in  1865,  294  souls. 

They  receive  from  the  United  States  an  annuity  of  $2,850 
per  year. 

AKANSEA,   OK   QUAPAWS. 

This  powerful  tribe,  according  to  Rev.  Father  Gravier, 
an  old  missionary  to  the  Illinois  previous  to  1700,  formerly 
inhabited  the  country  bordering  Ohio  river,  and  the  Illinois 
and  Miamies  called  that  river  the  "  river  of  the  Akansea." 
Previous  to  Marquette's  visit  to  the  Mississippi  in  1673,  the 
Arkansas  Indians  had  been  driven  from  the  Ohio  by  the 
Iroquois,  and  had  settled  on  the  Arkansas  river,  where  he 
found  them.  He  says  that  "their  language  is  extremely 
13* 


202  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

difficult,  and  with  all  my  efforts,  I  could  not  succeed  in  pro- 
nouncing some  words."  This  shows  that  their  language, 
like  the  Winnebagoes,  was  deeply  guttural.  Marquette,  how- 
ever, found  among  them  one  that  could  speak  Illinois,  who 
interpreted  for  him.  The  name  Akansea  was  an  Illinois 
word,  for  they  called  themselves  O-qua-pas,  or  Qua-paw. 
La  Salle  found  three  villages  of  them  along  the  Mississippi, 
near  the  Arkansas  river,  in  1681.  De  Tonty  soon  after 
names  the  "  Kappas  "  on  the  Mississippi,  and,  inland,  the 
Toyengan,  or  Tongenga,  the  Toriman,  and  the  Osotonoy, 
or  Assotone*.  He  commenced  a  settlement  among  them. 
Charlevoix,  in  1721,  makes  four  villages;  and  their  mis- 
sionary, Father  Poisson,  in  1727,  places'  them  all  on  the 
Arkansas  river :  "  The  Tourimans  and  Tongingas,  nine 
leagues  from  the  mouth  by  the  lower  branch ;  the  Sauthouis, 
three  leagues  farther ;  and  the  Kappas  still  higher  up."  The 
Rev.  Father  Douay,  however,  returning  from  La  Salle's 
expedition  in  168?,  said  that  the  "Arkansas  were  formerly 
stationed  on  the  upper  part  of  one  "  of  the  branches  of  the 
Missouri,  "  but  the  Iroquois  drove  them  out  by  cruel  wars 
some  years  ago,"  and  they  settled  "  on  the  river  which  now 
bears  their  name."  He  was  evidently  ignorant  of  the  fact 
that  they  were  driven  from  the  Ohio. 

The  Rev.  Father  St.  Cosme,  descending  the  Mississippi 
in  1699,  to  become  their  missionary,  said:  "We  were 
much  consoled  to  see  ourselves  in  the  places  of  our  mission, 
but  were  sensibly  afflicted  to  see  this  Acansea  nation,  once 
so  numerous,  almost  entirely  destroyed  by  war  and  sickness. 
It  is  not  a  month  since  they  got  Over  the  small-pox,  which 
carried  off  the  greater  part  of  them." 

Father  Gravier  visited  the  Akansea  in  1701,  and  found 
the  Kappa  and  Tourima  bands  in  a  village  of  forty  cabins, 
and  the  Sitteoiii  five  leagues  up  the  river  Arkansas  "  much 
more  numerous  than  "  the  other  two. 

The  Akansea  became  allies  of  the  French,  and  in  1727 
and  1728,  assisted  them  in  nearly  exterminating  the  Natchez, 


OSAGES,  OR  WA-SAW-SEE.  203 

for  their  massacre  of  a  small  French  establishment  amongst 
them,  including  Father  Poisson,  who  was  temporarily  at 
Natchez. 

The  Arkansas  bands  continued  to  occupy  their  country 
until  1818,  when  the  United  States  treated  with  them  as  the 
Quapaw  nation,  and  purchased  all  their  country  between 
the  Arkansas  and  Red  rivers,  and  north  of  the  Arkansas  and 
east  of  the  Mississippi,  and  allowed  them  a  reservation.  In 
1824,  the  United  States  bought  their  reservation,  and  the 
tribe  engaged  to  be  "  confined  to  the  district  of  country 
inhabited  by  the  Caddo  Indians,  and  form  a  part  of  that 
tribe."  The  Caddos  were  probably  a  kindred  tribe,  and  if 
so,  the  O-chunk-o-raw  confederacy  must  have  extended  far 
into  Texas.  The  Quapaws,  agreeable  to  their  treaty,  set- 
tled on  the  south  side  of  Red  river,  at  Bayou  Treache,  on 
a  tract  given  them  by  the  Caddoes ;  but  the  latter  tribe 
refused  to  incorporate  them,  and  as  the  Raft  on  Red  river 
so  often  flooded  their  land,  they  were  finally  obliged  to 
abandon  it,  and  in  1833  they  made  another  treaty  with  the 
United  States,  by  which  they  received  one  hundred  and  fifty 
sections  of  land  west  of  the  State  line  of  Missouri,  near  the 
Osages,  where  they  soon  after  settled  on  the  Neosho  river. 
They  enjoyed  the  benefits  of  the  Catholic  manual  labor  and 
girls'  schools  with  the  Osages,  and  had  become  considerably 
advanced  in  civilization ;  but  the  war  of  the  rebellion  deso- 
lated their  country  with  fire,  and  the  Quapaws  were  driven 
from  their  country  to  the  interior  of  Kansas,  and  their 
houses  were  plundered.  They  furnished  in  1862,  eighty 
Union  soldiers.  The  Quapaws  were  estimated,  in  1825,  at 
700;  and  in  1853  they  numbered  314  on  their  reservation. 

They  receive  from  government  $1,000  per  year  for  educa- 
tional purposes,  and  $1,660  for  smiths,  farmers,  etc. 

OSAGES,   OK   WA-SAW-SEE. 

This  band  was  first  mentioned  by  Marquette,  in  1673,  as 
occupying  the  lower  Missouri  river,  from  which  that  river 


204  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

was  generally  called  by  the  Recollect  missionaries  '"  the 
great  river  of  the  Osages."  St.  Cosme,  in  his  voyage  down 
the  Mississippi  in  1699,  called  the  river  "the  great  river  of 
the  Missourias,"  from  which  it  obtained  the  name  of  Missouri 
river.  They  call  themselves  the  Wa-saw-see.  In  1687, 
Rev.  Father  Douay,  who  was  with  La  Salle  when  he  was 
killed,  remarking  of  the  Indians  on  the  "famous  river  of  the 
Missourias  or  Osages,"  locates  the  Osages  with  "  seven- 
teen villages "  on  a  "  river  of  their  name,  which  empties 
into  that  of  the  Missourites."  The  Illinois  were  their  com- 
mon enemies  previous  as  well  as  subsequent  to  the  voyage 
of  Marquette ;  but  when  the  Illinois  were  driven  west  of  the 
Mississippi  in  1680,  by  the  Iroquois,  they  fled  to  the  Osages 
for  protection,  and  were  followed  to  Osage  territory.  The 
Osages  were  not  well  known  until  modern  times,  although 
they  are  mentioned  from  time  to  time  by  the  French,  and 
particularly  in  1712,  as  assisting  the  French  at  Detroit  to 
massacre  the  Foxes.  They  were  a  brave  people,  and  never 
failed  to  hold  their  territory  against  all  enemies,  even  to  the 
present  day.  Mr.  Catlin,  who  visited  them  in  about  1835, 
pronounced  them  the  tallest  race  of  men  in  North  America, 
either  red  or  white.  He  found  very  few  less  than  six  feet 
high,  and  many  six  and  a  half  and  seven  feet.  They  evi- 
dently have  not  degenerated  from  their  Winnebago  progen- 
itors ;  and  it  goes  to  substantiate  the  probability  that  this 
was  the  confederacy  referred  to  as  the  "Allegewi,"  in  the 
traditions  of  the  Delawares  ;  and  that  the  Delawares  were 
allies  of  the  Iroquois  in  the  war  against  this  people  in  1660. 
The  first  treaty  made  by  the  United  States  with  the 
Osages  was  "  concluded  at  Fort  Clark,  on  the  right  bank 
of  the  Missouri,  about  five  miles  above  the  Fire  Prairie,  in 
the  territory  of  Louisiana,  the  10th  day  of  November,  1808." 
By  this  treaty  the  Osages  ceded  to  the  United  States  all 
their  territory  east  of  a  line  running  due  south  from  Fort 
Clark  to  the  Arkansas  river,  and  down  the  Arkansas  to  the 
Mississippi,  and  all  their  territory  north  of  the  Missouri 


OSAGES,  OB  WA-SAW-SEE.  205 

river ;  for  which  the  United  States  furnished  them  a  black- 
smith, a  store  of  goods  "  to  barter  with  them  on  moderate 
tej-nis  for  their  peltries  and  furs,"  a  sum  not  exceeding 
$5,000,  to  citizens,  for  the  "  lawless  depredations"  of  the 
Osages,  $1,500  in  merchandise,  and  $1,'200  in  money. 
They  also  concluded  the  usual  treaty,  September  12th,  1815, 
of  "peace  and  friendship,"  and  that  all  previous  hostile  acts 
should  "  be  mutually  forgiven  and  forgot." 

The  next  treaty,  September  25th,  1818,  ceded  to  the 
United  States  the  following :  "  Beginning  at  the  Arkansaw 
river,  at  where  the  present  Osage  boundary  line  strikes  the 
river  at  Frog  Bayou ;  then  up  the  Arkansaw  and  Verdigris 
to  the  falls  of  Verdigris  river ;  thence,  easterly,  to  the  Osage 
boundary  line,  at  a  point  twenty  leagues  north  of  the 
Arkansaw  river,  and  with  that  line  to  the  place  of  begin- 
ning." In  consideration,  the  United  States  pay  not  exceed- 
ing $4,000,  for  Indian  depredations  since  1814. 

By  a  treaty  of  the  31st  August,  1822,  the  United  States 
paid  the  Osages  $2,329.40,  to  be  absolved  from  their  con- 
tract to  furnish  a  factory  or  store  of  goods,  under  the  treaty 
of  1808. 

By  the  treaty  of  June  2nd,  1825,  the  Osages  ceded  to  the 
United  States  their  "  lands  lying  in  the  State  of  Missouri 
and  territory  of  Arkansas,  and  all  lands  lying  west  of  the 
State  of  Missouri  and  territory  of  Arkansas,  north  and  west 
of  the  Red  river,  south  of  the  Kansas  river,  and  east  of  a 
line  to  be  drawn  from  the  head  sources  of  the  Kansas, 
southwardly  through  the  Rock  Saline,"  with  the  reservations 
as  follows  :  "  Beginning  at  a  point  due  east  of  White  Hairs 
village,  and  twenty-five  miles  west  of  the  western  boundary 
line  of  the  State  of  Missouri,  fronting  on  a  north  and  south 
line,  so  as  to  leave  ten  miles  north  and  forty  miles  south  of 
the  point  of  said  beginning,  and  extending  west,  with  the 
width  of  fifty  miles,  to  the  western  boundary  of  the  lands 
hereby  ceded  and  relinquished  by  said  tribes  or  nations ;" 
also,  some  forty -five  sections,  for  a  long  list  of  half-breeds ; 


206  UPPEE  MISSISSIPPI. 

also,  fifty-four  sections,  to  be  laid  off  by  the  President  and 
sold  to  raise  funds  for  the  support  of  Indian  schools.  The 
United  States,  in  said  treaty,  release  $4,105.80,  due  them 
from  the  Osages  for  goods  furnished ;  and  the  Indians,  in 
consideration  thereof,  "  release  their  claim  on  the  United 
States  for  regular  troops  to  be  stationed  at  Fort  Clark,  and 
also  the  furnishing  of  a  blacksmith  at  that  place,  and  the 
delivery  of  merchandise  at  Fire  Prairie,"  under  the  treaty 
of  1808. 

The  United  States  agree  to  pay  the  Delawares  $1,000; 
their  own  citizens  not  exceeding  $5,000,  for  Osage  "lawless 
depredations ;"  $6,000  in  merchandise  ;  $2,600  in  "  horses 
and  equipage;" $100  to  Paul  Lois,  and  the  same  to  Baptiste 
Mongrain,  and  $1,500  to  three  Indian  traders,  for  debts. 

By  the  treaty  of  January  llth,  1839,  the  Osages  release 
all  claim  to  any  of  their  reservations  "  within  the  limits  of 
any  other  tribe,"  and  also  "  all  claims  or  interests  under  the 
treaties  of  November  10th,  1808,  and  June  2nd,  1825, 
except  so  much  of  the  latter  as  is  contained  in  the  6th  article 
thereof;  and  the  said  Indians  bind  themselves  to  remove 
from  the  lands  of  other  tribes,  and  to  remain  within  their 
own  boundaries." 

For  the  consideration  of  the  above,  the  United  States 
agreed : 

1st.  To  pay  to  the  Osages  $20,000  annually  for  twenty 
years. 

2nd.  To  furnish  the  Osages,  for  twenty  years,  two  black- 
smiths and  two  assistants,  each  to  receive  two  hundred  and 
twenty-five  dollars  per  year ;  also,  "  each  smith  to  be  fur- 
nished a  dwelling-house,  shop  and  tools,  and  five  hundred 
pounds  of  iron,  and  sixty  pounds  of  steel,  annually." 

3rd.  To  furnish  the  Osage  nation  with  a  grist  and  saw 
mill,  a  miller  to  each  for  fifteen  years,  and  an  assistant  to 
each  for  eleven  years,"  etc. 

4th.  To  supply  them  1,000  cows  and  calves,  2,000  breed- 
ing hogs,  1,000  plows,  1,000  sets  of  horse  gear,  1,000  axes, 


OSAGES,  OR  WA-SAW-SEE.  207 

and  1,000  hoes;  to  be  distributed  to  those  which  shall  form 
an  agricultural  settlement. 

5th.  To  furnish  ten  chiefs  with  a  house  worth  two  hundred 
dollars  each,  and  eleven  with  a  house  worth  one  hundred 
dollars  each;  and  also  to  furnish  the  chiefs  six  wagons, 
sixteen  carts,  and  twenty-eight  yoke  of  oxen,  and  yoke  and 
log  chains  to  each  yoke. 

6th.  To  pay  all  claims  for  Osage  depredations  not  exceed- 
ing $30,000. 

7th.  To  purchase  the  reservations  to  individuals  at  not 
exceeding  two  dollars  per  acre,  made  in  the  treaty  of  June 
2nd,  1825,  to  be  paid  to  the  reservees. 

8th.  To  reimburse  $3,000  deducted  from  their  annuity  in 
1825  to  pay  for  property  which  has  since  been  returned. 

9th.  To  pay  to  Clermont's  band  their  proportion  of  the 
annuity  of  1829,  which  was  wrongfully  withheld  from  them, 
amounting  to  $3,000. 

In  1862  the  United  States  made  a  treaty  purchasing  the 
Osage  reservation,  but  it  had  not  in  1865  been  ratified  by 
the  Senate.  The  Indians,  however,  had  left  their  reserva- 
tion, and  retired  some  eighty  miles  to  the  south-west,  under 
a  state  of  dissatisfaction,  complaining  of  the  non-ratification 
of  the  treaty,  and  that  the  United  States  had  not  performed 
all  their  agreements  in  the  treaty  of  1839. 

In  September,  1865,  a  new  treaty  was  made,  which  was 
ratified  by  the  United  States,  September  21st,  1866.  By 
this  treaty  the  Osages  ceded  a  large  portion  of  their  entire 
reservation,  which  is  to  be  sold,  and  the  funds  invested  for 
the  benefit  of  the  tribe ;  $80,000  of  which  are  set  apart  as  a 
school  fund,  and  a  provision  was  made  for  their  mission 
school. 

According  to  Charlevoix,  the  Catholics  early  sent  mis- 
sionaries to  the  Osages  and  Missourias ;  but  one  of  them  lost 
his  life,  and  another  was  long  held  as  prisoner. 

In  1820  an  effort  was  made  by  the  Presbyterians  to 
establish  a  mission  among  them,  but  was  subsequently 


208  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

abandoned.  The  Catholics  again  renewed  their  efforts  in 
1846  for  their  conversion,  under  Fathers  John  Shoenraaker 
and  John  Bax,  and  the  Sisters  of  Loretto  opened  a  school 
for  girls.  Father  S.,  in  1855,  reports  to  the  Indian  agent 
that  the  "  Osages  advance  but  very  little  towards  civiliza- 
tion," but  he  is  willing  "  to  bear  them  testimony  that  they 
are  a  nation  of  superior  natural  talents."  He  further  said : 
"  At  our  arrival  in  this  nation  we  counted  five  farms ;  there 
are  now  twenty-five." 

In  1860,  Father  Shoenmaker's  manual  labor  school 
employed  four  male  teachers,  and  had  125  pupils,  and  the 
Sisters  of  Loretto  had  fourteen  engaged  in  teaching  the 
girls'  department,  which  numbered  nearly  as  many  as  the 
boys;  some  of  these  pupils  in  both  departments  were 
Quapaws.  The  Indian  agent  of  that  year  said  the  school 
was."  prosperous  beyond  the  most  sanguine  expectations  of 
its  founders." 

The  breaking  out  of  the  rebellion  was  disastrous  to  this 
tribe,  as  they  were  on  the  border.  About  1,000  of  them 
went  south  in  1861,  but,  probably  did  not  take  up  arms 
against  the  United  States,  and  most  of  them  had  returned 
in  1865.  The  balance,  about  2,500,  remained  loyal  to  the 
United  States;  and  as  early  as  1862  two  hundred  and  forty 
warriors  enlisted  in  the  Union  army.  The  whole  tribe  were 
faithful  guards  to  the  frontier  against  guerrillas,  and  in  June, 
1863,  captured  and  killed  at  one  time  twenty  rebel  officers 
and  soldiers,  who  had  come  into  their  country  for  plunder. 
In  1864,  the  rebels  burned  aU  their  houses  and  plundered 
their  country. 

The  schools  continued  to  diminish  from  year  to  year, 
and  in  1865,  the  agency  buildings  were  burned  about  the 
10th  of  May,  probably  by  guerrillas,  and  Father  Shoen- 
maker's report  is  missing  from  the  report  of  the  Commis- 
sioner of  Indian  Affairs.  They  receive  an  annuity  of  $3,456 
per  year  for  educational  purposes. 


MISSOURIAS  AND  OTTOES.  209 


MISSOURIAS  AND   OTTOES. 

The  first  knowledge  we  have  of  the  Missourias  is  derived 
from  Marquette,  who  marked  them  on  his  map  as  Ouemes- 
sourit,  and  located  them  on  the  Missouri  river,  next  above 
the  Osages.  The  word  is  evidently  Algonquin,  of  the 
Illinois  dialect,  but  the  writer  has  never  found  it  translated 
into  English  or  French.  Father  Douay  is  believed  by  the 
writer  to  have  been  the  first  one  to  give  their  name  to  the 
great  western  branch  of  the  Mississippi,  in  1687,  as  the 
"  river  of  the  Massourites."  During  the  next  century  we 
occasionally  find  their  names  mentioned,  but  nothing  defi- 
nite in  regard  to  them. 

The  United  States  found  them  on  the  north  side  of  the 
Missouri  river,  with  the  Ottoes,  and  made  the  usual  treaty 
of  peace  with  the  two  tribes,  June  24th,  1817. 

In  the  treaty  of  July  15th,  1830,  the  Missourias  and  Ottoes 
joined  the  lowas,  Sacs,  and  Foxes,  and  several  other  tribes, 
in  ceding  to  the  United  States  their  territory  on  the  east  side 
of  the  Missouri  river,  from  the  Missouri  State  line  extending 
up  the  river  to  the  Big  Sioux  river,  which  territory  so  ceded 
was  to  be  "  assigned  and  allotted,  under  the  direction  of  the 
President  of  the  United  States,  to  the  tribes  now  living 
thereon,  or  to  such  other  tribes  as  the  President  may  locate 
thereon,  for  hunting  and  other  purposes."  For  this  cession 
the  Missourias  and  Ottoes  received  $2,500,  and  one  black- 
smith, at  the  expense  of  the  United  States,  and  the  necessary 
tools;  also,  instruments  for  agricultural  purposes  to  the 
amount  of  five  hundred  dollars.  In  the  same  treaty,  part 
of  the  territory  of  the  Ottoes,  on  the  west  side  of  the  Mis- 
souri, was  set  oif  for  a  half-breed  tract,  and  it  was  stipulated 
that  the  Omahas,  lowas,  and  Yanckton  and  Santee  bands  of 
Sioux,  should  pay  the  Ottoes  therefor  $3,000. 

By  the  treaty  of  the  21st  of  September,  1833,  the  Ottoes 
and  Missourias  ceded  the  following  territory  to  the  United 
14 


210  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

States :  "  Beginning  on  the  Little  Nemaha,  at  the  north- 
west corner  of  the  land  reserved  by  treaty  at  Prairie  Du 
Chien,  on  the  15th  of  July,  1830  (see  lowas,  page  199),  in  favor 
of  certain  half-breeds,  of  the  Omahas,  lowas,  Ottoes,  and 
Yanckton  and  Santee's  band  of  Sioux,  and  running  west- 
erly with  said  Little  Nenaaha,  to  the  head  branches  of  the 
same ;  and  thence  running  in  a  due  west  line  as  far  west  as 
said  Ottoes  and  Missourias  have,  or  pretend  to  have,  any 
claim."  By  this  treaty  the  two  tribes  agreed  to  locate 
themselves  in  such  convenient  agricultural  districts  as  the 
President  may  think  proper ;"  and  also  expressed  "  their 
entire  willingness  to  abandon  the  chase  for  an  agricultural 
life."  The  United  States  agreed,  when  they  are  settled  by 
the  President  on  their  new  reservation,  to  continue  their 
.  annuity  for  ten  years  from  1840,  for  $500 ;  also,  $500  annu- 
ally for  five  years  for  schools ;  also  erect  a  horse-mill  for 
grinding  corn,  and  provide  two  farmers  to  reside  in  the 
nation  to  instruct  and  assist  said  tribe  for  the  term  of  five 
years;  also  deliver  them  $1,000  value  in  stock,  to  be  placed 
in  care  of  their  agent.  In  addition  to  this,  the  United 
States  extended  their  annuity  by  treaty  of  1830,  $2,500,  ten 
years  from  1840;  and  also  paid  them,  at  the  time  of  the 
treaty,  $400  worth  of  goods. 

By  the  treaty  of  October  15th,  1836,  they  relinquished 
their  claim  to  the  piece  of  land  between  the  State  of  Mis- 
souri and  the  river,  afterwards  added  to  Missouri,  for  which 
the  Ottoes  received  $1,250,  and  the  Missourias  $1,000.  The 
Ottoes  and  Missourias  also  received  500  bushels  of  corn, 
having  failed  to  raise  a  crop  that  season,  on  account  of 
having  removed  that  spring  on  to  the  tract  which  had  been 
selected  for  them  by  the  President. 

By  the  treaty  of  1854,  amended  and  ratified  April  10th, 
1855,  the  Missourias  and  Ottoes  ceded  to  the  United  States 
all  their  land  west  of  the  Missouri  except  their  reservation 
on  Big  Blue  river,  defined  as  follows:  Commencing 
five  miles  due  east  of  a  point  in  the  middle  of  the  main 


MI8SOUEIA8  AND  OTTOES.  211 

branch  of  the  Big  Blue  river,  at  a  place  called  by  the  Indians 
the  Islands,  south-west  of  Fort  Kearney ;  "  thence  west 
twenty-five  miles ;  thence  north  ten  miles ;  thence  east  to  a 
point  due  north  of  the  starting-point,  and  ten  miles  there- 
from ;  thence  to  the  place  of  beginning."  By  this  treaty 
they  consented  to  a  survey  and  allotment  in  severally  of 
their  reservation.  Upon  this  reservation  these  tribes  re- 
moved in  July,  1855,  and  the  first  of  November  of  that 
year  government  had  broke  for  them  100  acres  of  prairie, 
built  one  house  and  one  smith-shop,  and  put  up  100  tons  of 
hay.  In  1858  government  put  them  up  a  steam  saw  and 
grist-mill.  In  1860  their  crops  of  250  acres  were  an  entire 
failure  by  drouth.  In  1865  the  farmer  reported  that  the 
Indians  had  "  manifested  a  much  greater  interest  in  agri- 
culture than  the  year  previous,  and  that  their  crops  were 
good.  The  mills  were  doing  well,  and  grinding  for  both 
whites  and  Indians. 

In  November,  1854,  government  arranged  with  the  Pres- 
byterian Board  of  Missions  to  open  and  conduct  a  mission 
school  for  five  years,  and  paid  them  the  $500  per  year 
agreed  to  in  the  treaty  of  1833,  which  expired  in  June,  1860, 
since  which  time  no  school  has  been  open.  This  school  was 
under  the  charge  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Guthrie,  and  proved  a 
complete  failure,  he  having  failed  to  interest  the  Indians  to 
send  to  the  school.  The  agent,  in  1858,  said  the  Indians 
"  never  will,  unless  compelled  to,  send  their  children  to  this 
school,"  and  the  agent  recommends  that  the  school  be  dis- 
continued. 

In  1853,  the  two  tribes  were  reported  at  1,000  souls,  but 
in  1855  the  agent  estimated  them  at  only  600.  By  the  cen- 
sus of  1865,  they  then  numbered  508.  They  furnished  only 
four  soldiers  for  the  Union  army,  but  were  involved  in  war 
with  the  south-western  Indians,  and  were  loyal  to  our  gov- 
ernment. They,  however,  enrolled  fifty  young  men  for 
General  Lane's  "  Indian  regiment,"  which,  however,  were 
not  called  for. 


212  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

The  total  annuity  now  due  the  Indians,  under  the  treaty 
of  1854,  amounts  to  $221,000,  which  is  divided  into  some 
thirty  annual  installments. 

The  report  of  1866  urges  the  establishment  of  a  school, 
which  was  earnestly  requested  by  the  tribes ;  alleges  coh- 
stant  trespasses  on  their  timber  lands  by  the  whites,  and 
represents  some  progress  in  agriculture. 

KANSAS,   OK   KAWS. 

This  tribe  was  located,  by  Marquette,  west  of  the  Osages, 
and  next  to  the  Pancassa  or  Pawnees,  which  seems  to  have 
continued  as  their  locality  to  the  present  day.  We  know 
comparatively  nothing  of  their  wars,  except  that  the  whole 
O-chunk-o-raw  confederacy  were  more  or  less  at  war  with 
the  Illinois  in  early  times,  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  at  a  later  day, 
and  almost  continually  with  the  Pawnees.  Even  the  Win- 
nebagoes,  at  Green  Bay,  have  often  sent  war  parties  against 
the  Pawnees  within  the  memory  of  the  old  French. 

The  United  States  made  their  usual  treaty  of  peace  with 
the  Kansas,  October  28,  1815  ;  and  June  3,  1825,  they  made 
another  treaty,  the  first  article  of  which  was  as  follows : 

"  The  Kansas  do  hereby  cede  to  the  United  States  all  the 
lands  lying  within  the  State  of  Missouri,  to  which  the  said 
nation  have  title  or  claim ;  and  do  further  cede  and  relin- 
quish to  the  said  United  States,  ah1  other  lands  w^hich  they 
now  occupy,  or  to  which  they  have  title  or  claim,  lying  west 
of  the  said  State  of  Missouri,  and  within  the  following  boun- 
daries :  Beginning  at  the  entrance  of  the  Kansas  river  into 
the  Missouri  river;  from  thence  north  to  the  north-west 
corner  of  the  State  of  Missouri ;  from  thence  westwardly  to 
the  Nodewa  river,  thirty  miles  from  its  entrance  into  the 
Missouri ;  from  thence  to  the  entrance  of  the  Big  Nemaha 
river  into  the  Missouri,  and  with  that  river  to  its  source ; 
from  thence  to  the  sources  of  the  Kansas  river,  leaving  the 
old  village  of  the  Pania  Republic  to  the  west ;  from  thence, 
on  the  ridge  dividing  the  waters  of  the  Kansas  river  from 


KANSAS,  OR  RAWS.  213 

those  of  the  Arkansas,  to  the  western  boundary  of  the  State 
line  of  Missouri,  and  with  that  line,  thirty  miles,  to  the  place 
of  beginning." 

The  second  article  of  said  treaty  provided  for  a  reserva- 
tion as  follows : 

"  From  the  cession  aforesaid,  the  following  reservation 
for  the  use  of  the  Kansas  nation  of  Indians  shall  be  made, 
of  a  tract  of  land,  to  begin  twenty  leagues  up  the  Kansas 
river,  and  to  include  their  village  on  that  river,  extending 
west  thirty  miles  in  width,  through  the  lands  ceded  in  the 
first  article,  to  be  surveyed  and  marked  under  the  direction 
of  the  President,"  etc. 

The  consideration  of  this  purchase  was  "  $3,500  per 
annum  for  twenty  successive  years." 

The  United  States  also  furnished  the  Kansas  300  head  of 
cattle,  300  hogs,  500  domestic  fowls,  three  yoke  of  oxen, 
and  two  carts,  "  with  such  implements  of  agriculture  as  the 
superintendent  of  Indian  affairs  may  think  necessary ;  and 
shall  employ  such  persons  to  aid  and  instruct  them  in  their 
agriculture,  as  the  President  of  the  United  States  may  deem 
expedient ;  and  shall  provide  and  support  a  blacksmith  for 
them." 

Article  fifth  provides :  "  Out  of  the  lands  herein  ceded 
by  the  Kansas  nation  to  the  United  States,  the  commis- 
sioner aforesaid,  in  behalf  of  the  said  United  States,  doth 
further  covenant  and  agree,  that  thirty-six  sections  of 
good  lands  on  the  Big  Blue  river,  shall  be  laid  out  under 
the  direction  of  the  President  of  the  United  States,  and  sold 
for  the  purpose  of  raising  a  fund,  to  be  applied  under  the 
direction  of  the  President  to  the  support  of  schools  for  the 
education  of  the  Kansas  children  within  their  nation." 

The  United  States  also  stipulated  to  give  twenty-three 
half-breeds  of  the  Kansas  a  section  of  land  each  of  one  mile 
square,  commencing  at  the  reservation  on  the  north  side  of 
the  Kansas  river,  and  extending  down  the  river.  They  also 
agree  to  pay,  not  exceeding  $3,000,  for  Indian  depredations 


214  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

since  1815 ;  also  pay  Frai^ois  G.  Choteau  $500,  towards 
the  liquidation  of  Indian  debts  to  him ;  aleo  pay  $4,000, 
"  which,  together  with  the  amount  agreed  on  in  the  third 
and  fourth  articles,  and  the  provisions  made  in  the  other 
articles  of  this  treaty,  shall  be  considered  as  a  full  compen- 
sation for  the  cession  herein  made." 

There  were  provisions  for  the  delivery  of  stolen  property 
and  the  punishment  of  offenders. 

By  another  treaty  of  the  16th  of  August,  1825,  the  Kansas 
tribe  cede  the  privilege  of  a  highway  through  their  land, 
for  which  they  received  eight  hundred  dollars. 

Article  I.  of  the  treaty  of  1859,  proclaimed  by  the  Presi- 
dent November  17th,  1860,  provides: 

"  The  Kansas  Indians  having  now  more  lands  than  are 
necessary  for  their  use,  and  being  desirous  of  promoting 
settled  habits  of  industry  amongst  themselves,  by  abolishing 
the  tenure  in  common  by  which  they  now  hold  their  lands, 
and  by  assigning  limited  quantities  thereof  in  severalty  to 
the  members  of  their  tribe  owning  an  interest  in  their 
present  reservation,  to  be  cultivated  and  improved  for  their 
individual  use  and  benefit,  it  is  agreed  and  stipulated  that 
that  portion  of  their  reservation  commencing  at  the  south- 
west corner  of  said  reservation,  thence  north  with  the  west 
boundary  nine  miles ;  thence  east  fourteen  miles ;  thence 
south  nine  miles;  thence  west  with  the  south  boundary 
fourteen  miles,  to  the  place  of  beginning,  shall  be  set  apart 
and  retained  by  them  for  said  purposes ;  and  that  out  of  the 
same  there  shall  be  assigned  to  each  head  of  a  family  not 
exceeding  forty  acres,  and  to  each  member  thereof  not 
exceeding  forty  acres ;  and  to  each  single  male  person  of  the 
age  of  twenty-one  years  and  upwards  not  exceeding  forty 
acres  of  land,  to  include  in  every  case,  as  far  as  practicable, 
a  reasonable  proportion  of  timber.  One  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  said  retained  lands,  in  a  suitable  locality,  shall  also 
be  set  apart  and  appropriated  to  the  occupancy  and  use  of 
the  agency  of  said  Indians,  and  one  hundred  and  sixty 


KANSAS,  OB  KAWS.  215 

acres  of  said  lands  shall  also  be  reserved  for  the  establish- 
ment of  a  school  for  the  education  of  the  youth  of  the  tribe." 
By  article  4th  of  the  same  treaty,  it  is  provided  that  the 
surplus,  after  locating  all  the  said  Indians  as  aforesaid, 
might  be  sold  for  the  benefit  of  the  said  tribe,  and  for  assist- 
ing in  making  agricultural  improvements,  and  for  the  pay- 
ment of  Indian  debts.  The  tribe  also  make  further  provisions 
for  more  half-breeds. 

This  tribe  has  not  particularly  attracted  attention  until 
lately;  and  in  1855,  agent  Montgomery  wrote  of  them  in 
his  report,  that  their  annuity  "  is  mostly  laid  out  for  pro- 
visions and  whisky;"  that  about  the  middle  of  June  of  that 
year  "  the  small-pox  broke  out  amongst  them,  and  has  con- 
tinued to  prove  fatal  with  the  greater  number  of  them,  it 
seems,  to  the  great  satisfaction  and  admiration  of  all  those 
who  have  any  acquaintance  with  the  Kaws."  ..."  They 
have  no  school,  and  it  appears  that  what  they  have  had  has 
been  only  a  dead  expense  to  the  government."  .  .  . 
"  The  Kansas  are  a  poor,  degraded,  superstitious,  thievish, 
indigent  tribe  of  Indians ;  their  tendency  is  downward,  and, 
in  my  opinion,  they  must  soon  become  extinct;  and  the 
sooner  they  arrive  at  this  period,  the  better  it  will  be  for 
the  rest  of  mankind." 

To  this  report  Mr.  Manypenny,  the  Commissioner  of 
Indian  Affairs,  replied  that  the  agent  spoke  "  in  very 
improper  terms"  of  "  those  untutored  wards  of  the  govern- 
ment ;"  and  "  that  instead  of  designing  their  extermination, 
he  should  employ  the  best  means  within  his  reach  calculated 
to  promote  their  welfare  and  improvement,"  etc. 

In  March,  1862,  their  lands  having  been  surveyed,  were 
allotted  to  them  in  severalty,  and  that  year  they  commenced 
civilization  in  earnest.  The  agent  said  of  them  that  "  they 
have  been  provided  with  comfortable  and  substantial  stone 
houses,  which  they  now  occupy."  ..."  They  have 
cultivated,  for  the  first  time  in  many  years,  considerable 
fields  of  corn,  potatoes  and  other  vegetables.  The  new 


5216  UPPEK  MISSISSIPPI. 

fields  were  broken  too  late  for  use."  He  also  said  that  their 
pew  school  buildings  were  ready  for  teachers;  but  they 
need  a  blacksmith,  mill,  etc. 

In  May,  1863,  their  mission  school  went  into  operation, 
under  the  charge  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  with  thirty-five 
scholars,  and  was  quite  successful.  Mr.  Hauifaker  their 
farmer,  reported  that  they  "were  cultivating  over  three 
hundred  acres,  and  are  well  pleased  with  their  new  mode  of 
life ;"  but  labored  under  the  difficulty  of  having  an  "  insuffi- 
cient number  of  oxen,  ploughs  and  other  agricultural  imple- 
ments;" and  that  more  than  eighty  of  the  Indians  had 
"  enlisted  in  the  United  States  service  during  the  past 
year." 

In  1865  they  cultivated  four  hundred  acres,  and  raised 
350  bushels  of  wheat,  9,000  bushels  of  corn,  500  bushels  of 
oats,  and  750  bushels  of  potatoes.  Their  annuities  were 
$10,000  annually. 

In  1853  the  Kansas  numbered  1,375;  in  1860,  803;  in 
1862,  775;  in  1864,  701;  and  in  1865,  631.  This  shows  a 
large  decrease  annually,  which  is  in  part  explained  by  the 
fact  that  they  still  continue  their  buffalo  hunts  in  the  summer 
to  the  west,  and  their  probable  losses  in  the  late  war  of  the 
rebellion.  However,  at  that  rate,  the  "  wards  of  govern- 
ment" will  soon  disappear  like  the  "  children  of  the  woods." 

By  the  report  of  the  agent  in  September,  1866,  it  appears 
that  the  most  of  this  tribe  spent  the  previous  winter  in  the 
buffalo  country,  and  killed  3,000  buffalo ;  that  the  Santa  Fe 
traders  constantly  sold  them  whisky ;  that  thirty  of  their 
children  attended  the  mission  school,  and  made  some  pro- 
gress during  the  winter,  twelve  learning  to  read,  but  most 
of  them  returned  home  in  the  spring,  when  their  parents 
returned  from  the  hunt ;  that  many  of  their  horses  had  been 
stolen  by  white  men ;  and  that  the  children  at  school, 
"  when  treated  kindly,  seem  to  be  of  an  affectionate  disposi- 
tion." The  mission  school  is  in  charge  of  the  "  Friends," 
who  are  under  contract  to  the  government  "  to  receive  the 


OMAHAS.  217 

Indian  children  to  the  buildings  and  farm,  and  give  them 
a  good  English  education  to  the  extent  of  their  capacity ; 
and,  in  addition,  to  teach  the  boys  farming,  and  the  use  of 
tools  and  agricultural  implements,  and  the  girls  the  various 
branches  of  housewifery,  including  sewing  and  knitting,  and 
dairy  operations,  and  whatever  may  tend  to  their  civiliza- 
tion. 

The  treaty  of  1864,  providing  for  the  sale  of  their  lands  to 
the  United  States,  and  their  removal  to  the  Indian  territory, 
had  not  been  ratified  by  the  Senate  in  November,  1866. 


This  tribe  was  also  located  by  Marquette  on  the  Missouri, 
north-west  of  the  Missourias,  under  the  name  of  Mama. 
They  joined  with  the  Missourias  and  several  other  tribes,  in 
the  treaty  of  July  15th,  1830,  and  in  that  of  October  15th, 
1836. 

By  the  treaty  of  1854  the  Omahas  ceded  all  their  lands 
west  of  the  Missouri,  "  and  south  of  a  line  drawn  due  west 
from  a  point  in  the  centre  of  the  main  channel  of  said 
Missouri  river,  due  east  of  where  the  Ayoway  river  disem- 
bogues out  of  the  bluffs,  to  the  western  boundary  of  the 
Omaha  country,  and  forever  relinquish  all  right  and  title  to 
the  country  south  of  said  line,"  reserving  the  country  north 
of  said  line  for  their  home. 

The  sixth  article  provided  for  a  survey,  and  allotment  in 
severalty  of  the  reservation. 

The  United  States  also  agree  to  protect  them  on  their 
reservation  from  the  Sioux  and  other  hostile  tribes;  also 
"  erect  for  the  Omahas,  at  their  new  home,  a  grist  and  saw- 
mill, and  keep  the  same  in  repair,  and  provide  a  miller  for 
ten  years ;  also  to  erect  a  good  blacksmith  shop,  supply  the 
same  with  tools,  and  keep  it  in  repair  for  ten  years,  and 
provide  a  good  blacksmith  for  a  like  period ;  and  to  employ 
an  experienced  farmer  for  the  term  of  ten  years,  to  instruct 
the  Indians  in  agriculture."  They  gave  the  Presbyterian 
14* 


218  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

Board  a  section  of  land  to  include  the  then  buildings,  and 
gave  a  right  of  way  for  roads  and  railroads  through  their 
reservation.  • 

The  United  States  agreed  to  pay  them  $40,000  per  annum 
for  three  years,  $30,000  per  annum  for  ten  years,  $20,000 
per  annum  for  fifteen  years,  and  $10,000  per  annum  for 
twelve  years ;  each  annuity  to  commence  when  the  other 
was  paid  in  the  aforesaid  order ;  also  the  further  sum  of 
$41,000,  to  be  expended  by  the  President  in  establishing 
and  maintaining  them  on  the  reservation. 

The  tribe  went  on  their  reservation  and  progressed 
finely,  and  in  1865  had  945  acres  under  a  good  state  of 
cultivation.  Their  mission  school  was  under  the  supervision 
of  Rev.  R.  J.  Burtt,  with  four  assistant  teachers,  and  had 
forty -five  scholars.  The  school  received  $4,476.23  from  the 
Presbyterian  Mission  Board,  and  $3,750  from  the  tribe, 
annually.  The  census  of  1865  was  1,002,  showing  an 
increase  of  thirty-one  over  the  previous  year.  Indeed,  the 
tribe  has  increased  a  small  per  cent,  for  several  years.  They 
have  banished  whisky  from  the  reservation.  The  tribe  has 
been  loyal,  and  have  put  260  soldiers  into  the  Union  army. 
Of  their  annuities,  $480,000  are  yet  to  be  paid. 

This  tribe  invited  the  Winnebagoes,  their  "  elder  bro- 
thers," to  settle  with  them,  and  sold  them,  through  the 
United  States,  a  part  of  their  reservation. 

The  treaty,  selling  a  part  of  their  reservation  to  the 
United  States  for  the  benefit  of  the  Winnebagoes,  was 
ratified  February  15,  1866,  by  the  President,  by  which  they 
get  $50,000,  besides  the  extension  of  the  provisions  of  the 
eighth  article  of  a  former  treaty  for  ten  years,  and  $7,000 
damages  from  the  Winnebagoes. 

By  the  agent's  report  of  August  1,  1866,  the  tribe  was  in 
a  prosperous  condition,  the  most  of  the  people  had  put  on 
the  white  man's  clothing,  and  lived  in  comfortable  houses  ; 
and  their  mission  school,  then  under  the  superintendence  of 
Old  School  Presbyterians,  had  sixty-one  scholars,  of  which 


PONCAS.  219 

nineteen  were  girls,  and  forty-two  boys  —  all  making  good 
progress.  They  had  been  blessed  with  a  revival  of  religion. 
The  tribe,  during  the  summer  of  1866,  cultivated  1,830 
acres  —  485  more  than  the  previous  year  —  and  raised 
73, 630  bushels  of  grain,  besides  potatoes,  beets,  carrots,  and 
turnips.  The  chiefs  and  head  men  of  the  tribe  have  peti- 
tioned for  a  survey  and  allotment  in  severalty  of  their 
reservation. 

PONCAS. 

Marquette  mentions  a  tribe  near  the  Maha,  by  the  name 
of  Pana,  which  is  probably  the  same  as  the  Ponca  of  the 
present  day.  The  United  States  made  their  usual  treaty  of 
peace  with  this  tribe  in  1817,  and  another  for  trade  in  1825. 

By  that  of  May  12,  1858,  they  ceded  to  the  United  States 
all  their  lands,  except  the  following  reservation  for  their 
future  homes :  "  Beginning  at  a  point  on  the  Neobrara 
river,  and  running  due  north  so  as  to  intersect  the  Ponca 
river  twenty-five  miles  from  its  mouth ;  thence  from  said 
point  of  intersection,  up  and  along  the  Ponca  river  twenty 
miles ;  thence  due  south  to  the  Neobrara  river ;  and  thence 
down  and  along  said  river  to  the  place  of  beginning." 

For  this  cession  the  United  States  agreed  to  protect  the 
Poncas  on  their  reservation,  pay  them  $12,000  per  annum 
for  five  years,  $10,000  per  annum  for  ten  years,  $8,000  per 
annum  for  fifteen  years ;  and  expend  $20,000  "  in  maintain- 
ing and  subsisting  the  Poncas  during  the  first  year  after 
their  removal  to  their  new  homes,  purchasing  stock  and 
agricultural  implements,  breaking  up  and  fencing  land, 
building  houses,  and  in  making  such  other  improvements  as 
may  be  necessary  for  their  comfort  and  welfare." 

"  To  establish,  and  to  maintain  for  ten  years,  at  an  annual 
expense  not  to  exceed  $5,000,  one  or  more  manual  labor 
schools,  for  the  education  and  training  of  the  Ponca  youth 
in  letters,  agriculture,  the  mechanic  arts,  and  housewifery ; 
which  school  or  schools  shall  be  managed  and  conducted  in 


220  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

such  manner  as  the  President  of  the  United  States  shall 
direct ;  the  Poncas  hereby  stipulating  to  constantly  keep 
thereat,  during  at  least  nire  months  in  every  year,  all  their 
children  between  the  ages  of  seven  and  eighteen  years. 

"  The  United  States  also  pay  not  exceeding  $10,500,  to 
be  expended  in  the  erection  of  mills,  dwelling-houses,  shops, 
etc.,  for  the  benefit  of  the  Poncas  ;  and  also  to  expend 
annually,  for  ten  years,  or  during  the  pleasure  of  the  Presi- 
dent, an  amount  not  exceeding  $7,500,  for  the  purpose  of 
furnishing  said  Indians  with  such  aid  and  assistance  in  agri- 
cultural and  mechanical  pursuits,  including  the  working  of 
said  mill,  as  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  may  consider 
advantageous  and  necessary  for  them ;  the  Poncas  hereby 
stipulating  to  furnish  from  their  tribe  the  number  of  young 
men  that  may  be  required  as  apprentices  and  assistants  in 
the  mills  and  mechanics'  shops,  and  at  least  three  persons  to 
work  constantly  with  each  laborer  employed  for  them  in 
agricultural  pursuits." 

The  United  States  also  set  aside  $20,000  for  the  payment 
of  Ponca  debts;  also  the  United  States  gave  scrip  for  160 
acres  of  land  each,  to  eight  half-breeds,  and  Francis  Roy, 
their  interpreter. 

The  Poncas  agree  that  if  any  of  them  "  shall  drink,  or 
procure  for  others  intoxicating  liquor,  their  proportion  of 
the  tribal  annuities  shall  be  withheld  for  at  least  one  year." 

The  Poncas  also  reserve  the  right  to  allot  in  severalty, 
their  reservation  "  among  themselves,  giving  to  each  head 
of  family  or  single  person  a  farm,  with  such  rights  of  pos- 
session or  transfer  to  any  other  member  of  the  tribe,  or  of 
descent  to  their  heirs  and  representatives,  as  may  be  in 
accordance  with  the  laws,  customs,  and  regulations  of  the 
tribe." 

The  Ponca  reservation  proving  a  "  barren  waste,  destitute 
of  wood  for  lumber  and  for  fuel,  and  of  grass  for  hay,"  a 
new  treaty  was  made  with  them  in  March,  1865,  giving 
them  a  new  reservation  in  the  valley  of  the  Missouri  river, 


MANDANS.  221 

about  twelve  miles  long,  and  from  one  to  two  miles  wide, 
and  containing  an  abundance  of  timber,  grass,  and  water. 
That  treaty  had  not  been  confirmed  by  the  Senate  in  the  fall 
of  1866. 

The  manual  labor  school  provided  for  in  the  treaty  of 
1858,  had  not  been  opened  as  late  as  September  30,  1865, 
but  the  Poncas  were  still  urging  its  establishment. 

The  population  of  the  Poncas  amounted,  in  1865,  to  1,100, 
according  to  government  documents. 

By  the  agent's  report  of  September  10,  1866,  it  appears 
that  this  tribe  were  making  some  progress  in  farming,  hav- 
ing five  hundred  acres  under  cultivation  ;  but  were  in  an 
unsettled  condition  on  account  of  the  non-ratification  of  the 
treaty  of  1865.  They  have  no  school  or  mission. 

MANDANS. 

This  tribe  was  not  named  in  the  list  of  Missouri  river 
Indians  by  Marquette,  but  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  included 
them  in  their  raids  west  of  the  Mississippi. 

In  1825  they  were  at  war  with  the  United  States,  but  July 
30th,  of  that  year,  concluded  a  peace. 

About  1833  Mr.  Catlin  visited  this  tribe,  and  painted 
many  of  the  portraits  of  the  principal  men.  At  that  time 
they  inhabited  two  villages  about  two  miles  apart,  on  the 
west  side  of  the  Missouri  river,  two  hundred  miles  below 
the  mouth  of  the  Yellow  Stone,  and  numbered  nearly  2,000 
persons.  Within  the  memory  of  many  of  those  now  living, 
their  location  was  some  eighty  miles  further  down  the  river, 
and  numbered  ten  villages. 

Their  traditions,  related  to  Mr.  Catlin,  carry  them  back  to 
the  Ohio  river,  from  whence  they  were  driven  to  the  Mis- 
souri. Mr.  Catlin  saw  "  many  remains  on  the  river  below 
these  places  (and,  in  fact,  to  be  seen  nearly  as  low  down  as 
St.  Louis),  which  show  clearly  the  peculiar  construction  of 
Mandan  lodges."  These  lodges  were  always  surrounded 
with  a  ditch  two  feet  deep,  which  long  remains,  and  distin- 


222  UPPEB  MISSISSIPPI. 

guishes  unmistakably  their  locality.  Mr.  Catlin  subse- 
quently says  that  he  noticed  about  twenty  points  down  the 
river,  where  he  found  evidence  of  Mandan  villages ;  and  at 
one,  five  hundred  miles  below  their  then  residence,  he  found 
two  hundred  skulls  arranged  in  a  circle  in  the  peculiar  Man- 
dan  order ;  but  the  skulls  had  so  long  been  there  that  they 
would  crumble  to  powder.  This  would  indicate  a  residence 
there  probably  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  previous.  The 
name  which  the  tribe  call  themselves,  See-pohs-kah-nu-mah- 
kah-kee,  or  "people  of  the  pheasants,"  may  indicate  an 
Ohio  origin,  as  pheasants  are  a  very  scarce  bird  on  the 
Missouri  river.  They  claim  to  have  been  the  original 
people  created,  to  have  once  been  very  numerous,  but  had 
become  much  reduced  by  old  wars. 

In  1838  the  traders  carried  the  small-pox  to  the  Mandan 
villages,  and  the  greater  part  of  them  died.  A  few  of  them 
still  maintain  their  tribal  name  in  the  Dakota  territory,  near 
the  Gros-Ventres  and  Arickarees ;  and  all  three  of  those 
tribes  in  1865  only  contained  2,500  persons. 

We  have  placed  the  Mandans  in  the  O-chunk-o-raw  con- 
federacy, on  account  of  their  traditions,  residences,  and  lan- 
guage ;  for  by  traditions  they  were  from  the  Ohio,  and  the 
Rev.  Father  De  Smet,  the  Oregon  missionary,  speaking  of 
the  Winnebagoes  in  1865,  said  "  they  appear  to  be  distinctly 
related  to  the  Mandans,  there  being  a  similarity  in  their 
respective  languages."  They  were  probably  a  band  of  the 
"  Akansea,"  driven  from  the  Ohio  by  the  Iroquois  about 
1660,  and  fled  up  the  Missouri,  instead  of  following  their 
tribe  to  the  Arkansas  river. 

Mr.  Catlin,  however,  argues  that  they  might  have  been 
the  Mound-Builders  of  Ohio,  and  descendants  of  Modoc, 
the  Welsh  captain,  who,  it  is  said,  left  Europe  for  the  west  in 
the  thirteenth  century,  with  ten  ships,  and  was  never  heard 
from  afterwards.  We  answer  that  hypothesis  by  reference 
to  the  well-established  fact,  that  a  portion  of  the  mounds  of 
Ohio  are  more  than  1,000  years  old,  and  such  is  their  extent 


MANDAN8.  223 

that  Modoc  and  his  followers  could  not  have  built  them  in 
2,000  years.  Besides,  the  Welsh  had  no  customs  OF  super- 
stitions at  that  day  which  would  probably  have  led  them  to 
undertake  such  an  amount  of  labor.  Indeed,  the  writer 
believes  that  the  Indians  of  America  show  no  evidence  of  a 
European  origin  for  the  last  thousand  years. 

At  present,  the  Mandans  are  associated  with  the  Arick- 
arees  and  Gros-Ventres,  who  may  be  a  kindred  people. 
The  government  made  a  treaty  with  them  collectively  in 
1866,  by  which  they  obtained  a  cession  of  a  tract  of  land 
twenty-five  by  forty  miles,  together  with  the  right  of  way 
across  their  territory.  It  also  contained  provisions  in  aid 
of  the  civilization  of  the  bands. 


CHAPTER  XL 


DAKOTA,    OK    SIOUX    CONFEDERACY. 

THIS  powerful  confederacy  was  called  by  the  Algonquin 
nations  "  Nadouessioux,"  or  "  Enemies/'  a  word  clothed  in 
French  orthography,  which  was  abbreviated  or  contracted 
to  "  Sioux,"  (Soo,)  the  common  name  for  the  tribe  among 
the  English  and  French  traders  for*  the  last  two  hundred 
years.  They,  however,  called  themselves  Dakota,  or  Con- 
fe<lejia.tes. 

They  spoke  the  same  language,  and  claimed  in  their  tradi- 
tions that  they  were  originally  created  at  Mille  Lac,  the  seat 
of  their  empire,  when  first  visited  by  Rev.  Father  Hennepin 
in  1680.  Their  territory  extended  from  Lake  Superior  to 
the  Rocky  mountains.  When  the  Algonquin  nations  were 
crowded  back  upon  them,  about  the  middle  of  the  seven- 
teenth century,  they  became  involved  with  those  nations  in 
constant  wars  to  defend  their  eastern  frontier. 

When  the  English  settled  Hudson's  Bay,  they  furnished 
the  Chiistinaux  with  fire-arms,  and  they  thereby  enabled 
that  tribe  to  force  a  peace  with  the  Assiniboins,  or  Rock 
Indians,  the  northern  band  of  the  Sioux,  by  which  that  band 
became  alienated  from  the  confederacy.  This  peace  was 
the  one  probably  negotiated  by  the  French  officer,  De  Lut, 
in  1679. 

The  aggressions  of  the  fugitive  Algonquins  and  Hurons 
upon  the  Sioux  becoming  unbearable,  in  the  spring  of  1671 
they  attacked  those  tribes  at  the  head  of  Lake  Superior, 


DAKOTA,  OR  SIOUX  CONFEDERACY.  225 

and  cleared  the  lake  of  their  enemies.  The  Chippeways 
returned  to  the  falls  of  St.  Mary,  the  Ottawas  to  the  islands 
on  the  north  side  of  Lake  Huron,  and  the  Hurons  to  Mack- 
inaw island,  while  the  Sacs,  Foxes,  Miamies,  Mascotens  and 
Kickapoos  returned  to  the  Fox  and  Wisconsin  rivers,  and 
the  Illinois  to  their  home  on  the  river  of  that  name.  This 
war  was  settled  by  De  Lut,  in  1679,  by  peace  between  the 
Chippeways,  Christinaux,  and  Assiniboins,  but  on  the 
south  it  continued  until  1702. 

In  1700,  the  southern  bands  of  the  Sioux,  who  do  noT 
appear  to  have  ever  been  reconciled  to  the  Christinaux, 
killed  some  of  the  latter  tribe  which  they  found  among  the 
Assiniboins ;  upon  which  the  war  was  renewed,  the  latter 
band  taking  the  part  of  the  Christinaux.  The  Chippe- 
ways joined  the  northern  confederacy.  The  Sacs  and  Foxes, 
and  their  confederates,  becoming  dissatisfied  with  the  Chip- 
peways, in  1702  were  induced  by  the  Sioux  to  make  peace 
and  join  the  latter  tribe.  Here  commenced  the  great  war 
which,  in  later  years,  has  been  called  the  "  hereditary  war 
between  the  Sioux  and  Chippeways." 

The  Assiniboins,  who  lived  on  the  west  of  Lake  Superior, 
soon  passed  west  of  the  Red  river  of  the  north,  perhaps  to 
avoid  the  war  path,  while  many  of  the  Ottawas  and  other 
northern  Algonquin  nations  joined  the  Chippeways,  and  in 
process  of  time  became  known  as  the  "  Ojibwa  confeder- 
acy." This  powerful  confederacy,  constantly  receiving 
reinforcements  from  the  northern  hordes,  continued  to  press 
down  upon  the  Sioux  until  the  treaty  of  Prairie  Du  Chien, 
in  1825,  when  they  made  good  their  title  to  the  territory 
extending  south  to  St.  Croix  falls  and  Sauk  rapids,  and 
west  to  the  Red  river  of  the  north.  When  Hole-in-the-Day, 
at  that  treaty,  was  asked  by  the  commissioner  why  he 
claimed  so  far  south  and  west,  he  arose  and  with  great 
emphasis  declared,  "  We  conquered  it."  This  left  to  the 
conquerors  the  ancient  home  of  the  Dakotas  at  Mille  Lac, 
15 


226  UPPKK  MISSISSIPPI. 

where  they  claimed  that  they  were  created  by  Wakon,  the 
Great  Spirit. 

When  the  Dakotas  were  visited  by  Le  Sueur  in  1700,  they 
enumerated  by  name  sixteen  bands,  without  including  the 
Assiniboins,  which  then  constituted  their  confederacy. 

It  is  not  easy  to  name  these  bands  at  the  present  time, 
but  the  following  are  known  to  exist : 


Resided  in  Minnesota,  and  originated  the  mas- 
sacre in  18612. 

Resided  in  Minnesota,  and  were  called  "  upper 
bands."  These  four  bands  are  often  called 
Santees.  Reservation  at  Fort  Randall. 


Reside  in  Dakota  territory. 


Wahpakoota, 
Medawakanton, 

Wahpaton, 
Sisseton, 

Yankton 
Yanktonai, 
Bnile,       - 
Two   Kettle,     o 

Teton,  - 
Blackfcet. 
Minnecongou, 
Oncpapas, 
Sans  Arcs, 
Ogallallas, 
Assiniboins,     - 

The  language  of  the  Dakota,  or  Confederates,  is  peculiar 
to  that  nation,  and,  although  guttural,  is  readily  learned  by 
traders  and  missionaries.  The  latter  have  collected  it  into 
a  dictionary  with  grammatical  rules,  and  also  translated  the 
Bible  into  it. 

After  the  war  with  Great  Britain  closed,  the  United 
States  made  treaties  of  peace -with  the  most  of  the  Dakotas. 
In  1825  the  United  States  called  together  the  several  north- 
western tribes  at  Prairie  Du  Chien,  with  a  view  of  inducing 
the  Indians  to  define  and  settle  their  territorial  boundaries, 
and  establish  a  general  peace,  but  the  scheme  was  only 
partially  successful  They  succeeded,  however,  in  estab- 
lishing a  line  between  the  Sioux  and  Chippeways,  which, 
we  believe,  was  acquiesced  in  by  those  two  nations,  and 
was  as  follows :  Beginning  "  at  the  Chippewa  river,  half  a 
day's  march  below  the  fells ;  and  from  thence  it  shall  run 
to  Red  Cedar  river,  immediately  below  the  falls;  from 


DAKOTA,  OB  SIOUX  COXFKDERACT.  227 

thence  to  the  St.  Croix  river,  which  it  strikes  at  a  place 
called  the  Standing  Cedar,  about  a  day's  paddle  in  a  canoe 
above  the  hike,  at  the  month  of  that  river ;  thence  passing 
between  two  lakes,  called  by  the  Chippeways  *  Green  lakes,4 
and  by  the  Sioux  '  the  lakeg  they  bury  the  eagles  in ;'  from 
thence  to  the  standing  cedar  that  *  the  Sioux  split ;'  thence 
to  Rom  river,  crossing  it  at  the  mouth  of  a  small  creek 
called  *  Choking  creek,79  a  long  day's  march  from  the  Mis- 
sissippi ;  thence  to  a  point  of  woods  that  propels  into  the 
prairie,  half  a  day's  inarch  from  the  Mississippi ;  thence  in 
a  straight  line  to  the  month  of  the  first  river  which  enters 
the  Mississippi  on  its  west  side  above  die  month  of  Sac 
river ;  thence  ascending  the  said  river  (above  the  mouth  of 
Sac  river)  to  a  small  lake  at  its  source ;  thence  in  a  direct 
line  to  a  lake  at  the  head  of  Prairie  river,  which  is  supposed 
to  enter  the  Crow  Wing  river  on  its  south  side ;  thence  to 
Otter-tail  lake  portage ;  thence  to  said  Otter-tail  lake,  and 
down  through  the  middle  thereof  to  its  outlet ;  thence  in  a 
direct  line  so  as  to  strike  Buffalo  river,  half  way  from  its 
source  to  its  mouth,  and  down  the  said  river  to  Red  river ; 
thence  descending  Red  river  to  the  month  of  Outard  or 
Goose  creek."  ..."  The  eastern  boundary  of  the  Sioux 
commences  opposite  the  mouth  of  Iowa  river  (upper  Iowa,) 
on  the  Mississippi,  runs  back  two  or  three  miles  to  the 
bluffs,  follows  the  bluffs,  crossing  Bad  Ax  river  to  the  month 
of  Black  river,  and  from  Black  river  to  half  a  day's  march 
below  the  falls  of  the  Chippewa  river." 

By  the  treaty  of  September  29,  1837,  the  Sioux  "  ceded 
to  the  United  States  all  their  lands  east  of  the  Mississippi 
river,  and  all  their  islands  in  the  said  river."  A  reference 
to  the  boundary  aforesaid,  described  in  the  treaty  of  1825, 
will  show  the  extent  of  this  purchase. 

The  following  provisions  of  the  treaty  of  1837  wifl  show 
the  consideration  paid  the  Sioux  for  said  land,  and  for  con- 
tinuing the  initiatory  steps  taken  by  the  United  States  for 
civilizing  those  Indians  in  1830: 


228  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

"ARTICLE  II.  In  consideration  of  the  cession  contained 
in  the  preceding  article,  the  United  States  agree  to  the  fol- 
lowing stipulations  on  their  part : 

"1st.  To  invest  the  sum  of  $300,000  in  such  safe  and 
profitable  State  stocks  as  the  President  may  direct,  and  to 
pay  to  the  chiefs  and  braves  as  aforesaid,  annually,  forever, 
an  income  of  not  less  than  five  per  cent,  thereon ;  a  portion 
of  said  interest,  not  exceeding  one-third,  to  be  applied  in 
such  manner  as  the  President  may  direct,  and  the  residue  to 
be  paid  in  specie,  or  such  other  manner,  and  for  such 
objects,  as  the  proper  authorities  of  the  tribe  may  designate. 

"  2nd.  To  pay  to  the  relatives  and  friends  of  the  chiefs 
and  braves,  as  aforesaid,  having  not  less  than  one  quarter 
of  Sioux  blood,  $110,000,  to  be  distributed  by  the  proper 
authorities  of  the  tribe,  upon  principles  to  be  determined  by 
the  chiefs  and  braves  signing  this  treaty,  and  the  war 
department. 

"  3rd.  To  apply  the  sum  of  $90,000  to  the  payment  of 
just  debts  of  the  Sioux  Indians,  interested  in  the  lands 
herewith  ceded. 

"  4th.  To  pay  to  the  chiefs  and  braves,  as  aforesaid,  an 
annuity  for  twenty  years  of  $10,000  in  goods,  to  be  purchased 
under  the  direction  of  the  President,  and  delivered  at  the 
expense  of  the  United  States. 

"  5th.  To  expend  annually,  for  twenty  years,  for  the 
benefit  of  Sioux  Indians,  parties  to  this  treaty,  the  sum  of 
$8,250,  in  the  purchase  of  medicines,  agricultural  imple- 
ments, and  stock,  and  for  the  support  of  a  physician, 
farmers,  and  blacksmiths,  and  for  other  beneficial  objects. 

"  6th.  In  order  to  enable  the  Indians  aforesaid  to  break 
up  and  improve  their  lands,  the  United  States  will  supply, 
as  soon  as  practicable  after  the  ratification  of  this  treaty, 
agricultural  implements,  mechanics'  tools,  cattle,  and  such 
other  articles  as  may  be  useful  to  them,  to  an  amount  not 
exceeding  $10,000. 

"  7th.  To  expend  annually,  for  twenty  years,  the  sum  of 


DAKOTA,  OE  SIOUX  CONFEDERACY.  229 

$5,500,  in  the  purchase  of  provisions,  to  be  delivered  at  the 
expense  of  the  United  States. 

"  8th.  To  deliver  to  the  chiefs  and  braves  signing  this 
treaty,  upon  their  arrival  at  St.  Louis,  $6,000  in  goods." 

Under  this  treaty,  the  Sioux  removed  all  their  bands  to 
the  west  bank  of  the  Mississippi  in  1838. 

By  the  treaty  of  September  10,  1836,  Wa-ba-shaw's  band 
of  the  Sioux  released  to  the  United  States  their  interest  in 
the  tract  of  country  between  the  Missouri  State  line  and 
Missouri  river,  which  was  afterwards  attached  to  that  State, 
and  became  slave  territory.  A  similar  release  was  obtained 
from  the  Yankton  and  Santee  bands  of  Sioux,  and  from  the 
Ottoes,  Missourias,  and  Ornahas,  by  the  treaty  of  October 
15th,  1836;  and  from  the  Wah-pa-kootah,  Sissaton  and 
upper  Medawakanton  bands  of  the  Sioux,  by  treaty  of 
November  30,  1836. 

By  the  treaty  of  Prairie  Du  Chien,  of  August  19,  1825, 
the  boundary  line  between  the  Sioux  and  Sacs  and  Foxes, 
was  established  as  follows :  "  Commencing  at  the  mouth 
of  the  upper  Iowa  river,  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, and  ascending  the  said  Iowa  river  to  its  left  fork ; 
thence  up  that  fork  to  its  source ;  thence  crossing  the  fork 
of  Red  Cedar  river  in  a  direct  line,  to  the  second  or  upper 
fork  of  the  Des  Moines  river ;  thence  in  a  direct  line  to  the 
lower  fork  of  the  Calumet  river,  and  down  that  river  to  the 
Missouri  river." 

By  article  third  of  the  treaty  at  Prairie  Du  Chien,  July 
15th,  1830,  the  Medawakantons,  Wah-pa-koota,  Wahpatons, 
and  Sissatons  bauds  of  the  Sioux,  "cede  and  relinquish  to 
the  United  States,  forever,  a  tract  of  country  twenty  miles 
in  width,  from  the  Mississippi  to  the  Des  Moines  river,  situ- 
ated north,  and  adjoining"  the  aforesaid  line ;  and  the  same 
bands,  with  the  Yankton  and  Santee  bands  of  Sioux,  and 
the  lowas,  Ottoes,  Omahas  and  Missourias,  further  cede  to 
the  United  States  the  country  from  the  following  line  to  the 
State  of  Missouri,  as  Indian  territory  for  colonization : 


230  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

"  Beginning  at  the  upper  fork  of  the  Des  Moines  river,  and 
passing  the  sources  of  the  Little  Sioux  and  Floyd's  rivers, 
to  the  forks  of  the  first  creek  which  falls  into  the  Big  Sioux 
or  Calumet  on  the  east  side ;  thence  down  said  creek  and 
Calumet  river  to  the  Missouri  river." 

This  "  Indian  territory  "  was  afterwards  abandoned,  and 
the  Indians  transferred  to  the  west  bank  of  the  Missouri. 
It  was  in  this  treaty  that  the  "  half-breed  reservation  "  was 
set  off  on  the  west  side  of  the  Mississippi  and  Lake  Pepin, 
fifteen  miles  wide,  and  extending  down  the  Mississippi  from 
Red  Wing  thirty-two  miles,  to  opposite  the  mouth  of  Buffalo 
river. 

For  these  purchases,  the  United  States  agreed  to  pay 
annually  for  ten  years,  to  the  Yankton  and  Santee  bands, 
$3,000,  and  to  the  other  Sioux  bands,  $2,000 ;  and  also 
furnish  the  latter  Sioux  bands  "  one  blacksmith  and  the 
necessary  tools,  at  the  expense  of  the  United  States ;  also 
instruments  for  agricultural  purposes,  and  iron  and  steel  to 
the  amount  of  $700  annually,  for  ten  years,"  and  as  much 
longer  as  the  President  may  think  proper ;  and  also  furnish 
for  the  same  period  to  the  former  Sioux  bands,  a  blacksmith 
and  tools,  and  agricultural  implements  to  the  amount  of 
$400.  The  United  States  also  paid  and  distributed  among 
the  several  tribes  who  signed  the  treaty,  in  goods,  $5,132, 
and  set  apart  for  educational  purposes  $3,000,  to  be  paid 
annually  for  ten  years. 

The  great  tide  of  emigration  having  in  good  earnest 
reached  the  upper  Mississippi  valley  in  1850,  the  United 
States  government  were  pressed  for  more  Indian  lands  to 
accommodate  the  millions  of  all  nations  of  the  world,  who 
were  looking  earnestly  for  homes  in  the  finest  agricultural 
region  of  the  north-west ;  and  the  authorities  at  Washington 
consequently  turned  their  attention  to  the  rich  territories  of 
the  chivalrous  Sioux.  The  thousands  of  bold  warriors  from 
the  mighty  Mississippi  to  the  snow-clad  Rocky  mountains, 
were  summoned  to  meet  the  high  officials  at  Traverse  Des 


DAKOTA,  OR  SIOUX  CONFEDERACY.  231 

/Sioux,  on  the  Minnesota  river,  in  the  summer  of  1851,  where 
they  were  feasted  and  petted  at  government  expense  for 
nearly  a  month,  when  the  terms  of  the  two  following 
treaties  were  agreed  upon,  and  signed  by  L.  Lea,  the  com- 
missioner of  Indian  affairs,  and  Governor  Ramsey,  of  Min- 
nesota territory. 

The  first  was  signed  July  23rd,  1851,  and  the  following 
is  a  copy  of  the  several  articles : 

"  ARTICLE  I.  It  is  stipulated  and  solemnly  agreed,  that 
the  peace  and  friendship  now  so  happily  existing  between 
the  United  States  and  the  aforesaid  bands  of  Indians  shall 
be  perpetual. 

"  ARTICLE  II.  The  said  See-see-toan  and  Wah-pay-toan 
bands  of  Dakota  or  Sioux  Indians  agree  to  cede,  and  do 
hereby  cede,  sell,  and  relinquish  to  the  United  States,  all 
their  lands  in  the  State  of  Iowa ;  and,  also,  all  their  lands 
in  the  territory  of  Minnesota,  lying  east  of  the  following 
line,  to  wit:  Beginning  at  the  junction  of  the  Buffalo  river 
with  the  Red  river  of  the  north ;  thence  along  the  western 
bank  of  said  Red  river  of  the  north  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Sioux  Wood  river ;  thence  along  the  western  bank  of  said 
Sioux  Wood  river  to  Lake  Traverse;  thence  along  the 
western  shore  of  said  lake  to  the  southern  extremity  thereof; 
thence  in  a  direct  line  to  the  junction  of  Kampeska  lake 
with  the  Tchan-kas-an-data  or  Sioux  river;  thence  along 
the  western  bank  of  said  river  to  its  point  of  intersection 
with  the  northern  line  of  the  State  of  Iowa,  including  all  the 
islands  in  said  rivers  and  lake. 

ARTICLE  III.  In  part  consideration  of  the  foregoing  ces- 
sion, the  United  States  do  hereby  set  apart  for  the  future 
occupancy  and  home  of  the  Dakota  Indians,  parties  to  this 
treaty,  to  be  held  by  them  as  Indian  lands  are  held,  all  that 
tract  of  country  on  either  side  of  the  Minnesota  river  from 
the  Western  boundary  of  the  lands  herein  ceded,  east  to 
the  Tchay-tam  Bay  river  on  the  north,  and  to  the  Yellow 
Medicine  river  on  the  south  side,  to  extend,  on  each  side,  a 


232  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

distance  of  not  less  than  ten  miles  from  the  general  course 
of  said  river,  the  boundaries  of  said  tract  to  be  marked  out 
by  as  straight  lines  as  practicable,  whenever  deemed  expe- 
dient by  the  President,  and  in  such  manner  as  he  shall 
direct. 

"  ARTICLE  IV.  In  further  and  full  consideration  of  said 
cession,  the  United  States  agree  to  pay  to  said  Indians  the 
sum  of  $1,665,000  at  the  several  times,  in  the  manner  and 
for  the  purposes  following,  to  wit : 

"  1st.  To  the  chiefs  of  the  said  bands,  to  enable  them 
to  settle  their  affairs  and  comply  with  their  present  just 
engagements ;  and  in  consideration  of  their  removing  them- 
selves to  the  country  set  apart  for  them  as  above,  which 
they  agree  to  do  within  two  years,  or  sooner,  if  required  by 
the  President,  without  further  cost  or  expense  to  the  United 
States,  and  in  consideration  of  their  subsisting  themselves 
the  first  year  after  their  removal,  which  they  agree  to  do 
without  further  cost  or  expense  on  the  part  of  the  United 
States,  the  sum  of  $275,000.  Provided,  That  said  sum 
shall  be  paid  to  the  chiefs  in  such  manner  as  they  hereafter, 
in  open  council,  shah1  request,  and  as  soon  after  the  removal 
of  said  Indians  to  the  home  set  apart  for  them  as  the  neces- 
sary appropriation  therefor  shall  be  made  by  Congress. 

"  2nd.  To  be  laid  out,  under  the  direction  of  the  Presi- 
dent, for  the  establishment  of  manual  labor  schools,  the 
erection  of  mills  and  blacksmith  shops,  opening  farms, 
fencing  and  breaking  land,  and  for  such  other  beneficial 
objects  as  may  be  deemed  most  conducive  to  the  prosperity 
and  happiness  of  said  Indians,  $30,000. 

"The  balance  of  said  sum  of  $1,665,000,  to  wit, 
$1,360,000,  to  remain  in  trust  with  the  United  States,  and 
five  per  cent,  interest  thereon  to  be  paid  annually  to  said 
Indians  for  the  period  of  fifty  years,  commencing  the  first 
day  of  July,  1852,  which  shall  be  in  full  payment  of  said 
balance,  principal  and  interest;  the  said  payment  to  be 


DAKOTA,  OR  SIOUX  CONFEDERACY.  233 

applied,  under  the  direction  of  the  President,  as  follows,  to 
wit: 

"  3rd.  For  a  general  agricultural  improvement  and  civil- 
ization fund,  the  sum  of  $12,000. 

"  4th.  For  educational  purposes,  the  sum  of  $6,000. 

"  5th.  For  the  purchase  of  goods  and  provisions,  the  sum 
of  $10,000,000. 

"  6th.  For  money  annuity,  the  sum  of  $40,000. 

"  ARTICLE  V.  The  laws  of  the  United  States  prohibiting 
the  introduction  and  sale  of  spirituous  liquors  in  the  Indian 
country,  shall  be  in  full  force  and  effect  throughout  the 
territory  hereby  ceded,  and  lying  in  Minnesota,  until  other- 
wise directed  by  Congress  or  the  President  of  the  United 
States. 

"  ARTICLE  VI.  Rules  and  regulations  to  protect  the 
rights  of  persons  and  property  among  the  Indians,  parties 
to  this  treaty,  and  adapted  to  their  condition  and  wants, 
may  be  prescribed  and  enforced  in  such  manner  as  the 
President  or  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  from  time 
to  time  shall  direct." 

The  Senate,  June  23rd,  1852,  amended  the  said  treaty  by 
striking  out  all  of  article  third  and  adding  the  following, 
which  was  afterwards  consented  to  by  the  Sioux : 

"  1st.  The  United  States  do  hereby  stipulate  to  pay  the 
Sioux  bands  of  Indians,  parties  to  this  treaty,  at  the  rates 
of  ten  cents  per  acre  for  the  lands  included  in  the  reserva- 
tion provided  for  in  the  third  article  of  the  treaty  as 
originally  agreed  upon. 

"  2nd.  It  is  further  stipulated,  that  the  President  be 
authorized,  with  the  assent  of  the  said  bands  of  Indians, 
parties  to  this  treaty,  and  as  soon  after  they  shall  have  given 
their  assent  to  the  foregoing  article  as  may  be  convenient, 
to  cause  to  be  set  apart,  by  appropriate  landmarks  and 
boundaries,  such  tracts  of  country,  without  the  limits  of  the 
cession  made  by  the  first  [2nd]  article  of  the  treaty,  as  may 
be  satisfactory,  for  their  future  oc'cupancy  and  home : 
15* 


234  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

Provided,  that  the  President  'may,  by  the  consent  of  these 
Indians,  vary  the  conditions  aforesaid,  if  deemed  expe- 
dient." 

The  second  treaty  purports  to  have  been  signed  August 
5th,  1851,  at  Mendota,  at  the  mouth  of  Minnesota  river, 
and  was  made  between  the  United  States  and  Med-ay-wa- 
Jcan-toan  and  Wah-pay-koo-tay  bands  of  the  Dakota,  or 
Sioux,  by  which  those  bands  ceded  to  the  United  States  all 
their  interest  in  the  lands  in  Minnesota  or  Iowa,  and  in  con- 
sideration of  such  cession  those  bands  were  made  tenants 
in  common  of  a  reservation  along  the  Minnesota  river,  ten 
miles  wide  on  each  side,  and  the  United  States  agreed  to 
pay  them  $1,410,000.  The  further  pi-ovisions  of  the  treaty 
were  substantially  the  same  as  were  contained  in  the  treaty 
with  See-see-toan  and  Wah-pay-toan  bands,  of  the  23rd  of 
July  of  the  same  year.  The  treaty  was  amended  by  the 
Senate  substantially  as  the  other,  and  the  amendment 
ratified  by  the  bands  at  St.  Paul,  September  4th,  1862. 
Both  treaties  were  ratified  by  the  President's  proclamation, 
dated  February  24th,  1853. 

In  1858  the  United  States  concluded  a  treaty  with  the 
Yankton  band  of  Sioux,  by  which  that  band  ceded  all  their 
lands,  except  a  reservation  of  400,000  acres,  extending  thirty 
miles  along  the  east  bank  of  the  Missouri  river,  above  the 
Chouteau  river,  for  which  the  United  States  engaged  to  pay 
annuities  amounting  to  $1,600,000.  The  treaty  contained 
the  usual  provisions  for  schools  and  agricultural  improve- 
ments. It  was  ratified  by  the  Senate,  and  published  by  the 
President's  proclamation,  dated  February  26th,  1859. 

The  Sioux  bands  being  unwilling  to  leave  their  reserva- 
tion under  the  treaty  of  August  5th,  1851,  as  required  by 
the  amendment  of  the  Senate  in  striking  out  article  third,  a 
new  treaty  was  made  with  them  at  Washington,  June  19th, 
1858,  with  the  following  provisions: 

"AKTICLE  I.  It  is  hereby  agreed  and  stipulated  that,  as 
soon  as  practicable  after  the  ratification  of  this  agreement, 


DAKOTA,  OB  SIOUX  CONFEDEBACY.  235 

so  much  of  that  part  of  the  reservation  or  tract  of  land  now 
held  and  possessed  by  the  Mendawakanton  and  Wahpakoota 
bands  of  the  Dakota  or  Sioux  Indians,  and  which  is  de- 
scribed in  the  third  article  of  the  treaty  made  with  them  on 
the  5th  day  of  August,  1851,  which  lies  south  or  south- 
westwardly  of  the  Minnesota  river,  shall  constitute  a  reser- 
vation for  said  bands,  and  shall  be  surveyed,  and  eighty 
acres  thereof,  as  near  as  may  be  in  conformity  with  the 
public  surveys,  be  allotted  in  severalty  to  each  head  of  a 
family,  or  single  person  over  the  age  of  twenty-one  years, 
in  said  bauds  of  Indians,  said  allotments  to  be  so  made  a6 
to  include  a  proper  proportion  of  timbered  land,  if  the  same 
be  practicable,  in  each  of  said  allotments.  The  residue  of 
said  part  of  said  reservation  not  so  allotted  shall  be  held  by 
said  bands  in  common,  and  as  other  Indian  lands  are  held : 
Provided,  however,  that  eighty  acres  thereof,  as  near  as 
may  be,  shall,  in  like  manner  as  above  provided  for,  be 
allotted  to  each  of  the  minors  of  said  bands  on  his  or  her 
attaining  their  majority,  or  on  becoming  heads  of  families 
by  contracting  marriage,  if  neither  of  the  parties  shall  have 
previously  received  land. 

"All  the  necessary  expenses  of  the  surveys  and  allotments 
thus  provided  for,  shall  be  defrayed  out  of  the  funds  of  said 
bands  of  Indians  in  the  hands  of  the  government  of  the 
United  States. 

"As  the  members  of  said  bands  become  capable  of  man- 
aging their  business  and  affairs,  the  President  of  the  United 
States  may,  at  his  discretion,  cause  patents  to  be  issued  to 
them,  for  the  tracts  of  land  allotted  to  them  respectively,  in 
conformity  with  this  article ;  said  tracts  to  be  exempt  from 
levy,  taxation,  sale  or  forfeiture,  until  otherwise  provided  for 
by  the  legislature  of  the  State  in  which  they  are  situated 
with  the  assent  of  Congress ;  nor  shall  they  be  sold  or  alien- 
ated in  fee,  or  be  in  any  other  manner  disposed  of  except 
to  the  United  States,  or  to  members  of  said  bands. 

"ABTICLE  II.  Whereas  by  the  treaty  with  the  Mendawa- 


236  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

f 

kanton  and  Wahpakoota  bands  of  Sioux  Indians,  concluded 
at  Mendota  on  the  5th  day  of  August,  1851,  said  bands 
retained  for  their  '  future  occupancy  and  home,'  '  to  be  held 
by  them  as  Indian  lands  are  held,  a  tract  of  country  of  the 
average  width  of  ten  miles  on  either  side  of  the  Minnesota 
river,'  extending  from  Little  Rock  river  to  the  Tchatamba 
and  Yellow  Medicine  rivers,  which  land  was  to  '  be  held  by 
said  bands  in  common.' 

"And  whereas  the  Senate  of  the  United  States  so  amended 
said  treaty  as  to  strike  therefrom  the  provision  setting  apart 
said  land  as  a  home  for  said  bands,  and  made  provision  for 
the  payment  to  said  bands  '  at  the  rate  of  ten  cents  per  acre 
for  the  lands  included  in  the '  said  tract  so  reserved  and  set 
apart  for  the  '  occupancy  and  home '  of  said  bands,  and  also 
provided  in  addition  thereto,  that  there  should  be  '  set  apart, 
by  appropriate  landmarks  and  boundaries,  such  tracts  of 
country  without  the  limits  of  the  cession  made  by  the  first 
article  of  the '  said  treaty,  as  should  '  be  satisfactory  for 
their  future  occupancy  and  home,'  said  Senate  amendment 
providing  also  '  that  the  President  may,  with  the  consent  of 
these  Indians,  vary  the  conditions  aforesaid,  if  deemed 
expedient ; '  all  of  which  provisions  in  said  amendment 
were  assented  to  by  said  Indians. 

"And  wrhereas  the  President  so  far  varied  the  conditions 
of  said  Senate  amendment  as  to  permit  said  bands  to  locate 
for  the  time  being  upon  the  tract  originally  reserved  by  said 
bands  for  a  home,  and  no  '  tracts  of  country  without  the 
limits  of  the  cession '  made  in  the  said  treaty  has  [have] 
ever  been  provided  for,  or  offered  to,  said  bands : 

"And  whereas  by  the  '  act  making  appropriations  for  the 
current  and  contingent  expenses  of  the  Indian  department, 
and  for  fulfilling  treaty  stipulations  with  various  Indian 
tribes,'  approved  July  31,  1854,  the  President  was  author- 
ized to  confirm  to  the  Sioux  of  Minnesota  forever,  the 
reserve  on  the  Minnesota  river  now  occupied  by  them,  upon 
such  conditions  as  he  may  deem  just : 


DAKOTA,  OR  SIOUX  CONFEDERACY.  237 

"And  whereas,  although  the  President  has  not  directly 
confirmed  said  reserve  to  said  Indians,  they  claim  that  as 
they  were  entitled  to  receive  '  such  tracts  of  country '  as 
should  '  be  satisfactory  for  their  future  occupancy  and 
home,'  and  as  no  such  country  has  been  provided  for,  or 
offered  to,  said  bands,  it  is  agreed  and  stipulated  that  the 
question  shall  be  submitted  to  the  Senate  for  decision 
whether  they  have  such  title ;  and  if  they  have,  what  com- 
pensation shall  be  made  to  them  for  that  part  of  said  reser- 
vation or  tract  of  land  lying  on  the  north  side  of  the  Min- 
nesota river  —  whether  they  shall  be  allowed  a  specific  sum 
of  money  therefor,  and  if  so,  how  much ;  or  whether  the 
same  shall  be  sold  for  their  benefit,  they  to  receive  the 
proceeds  of  such  sale,  deducting  the  necessary  expenses 
incident  thereto.  Such  sale,  if  decided  in  favor  of  by  the 
Senate,  shall  be  made  under  and  according  to  regulations 
to  be  prescribed  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  and  in 
such  manner  as  will  secure  to  them  the  largest  sum  it  may 
be  practicable  to  obtain  for  said  land. 

"ARTICLE  III.  It  is  also  agreed  that  if  the  Senate  shall 
authorize  the  land  designated  in  article  two  of  this  agree- 
ment to  be  sold  for  the  benefit  of  the  said  Mendawakanton 
and  Wahpakoota  bands,  or  shall  prescribe  an  amount  to  be 
paid  said  bands  for  their  interest  in  said  tract,  provision 
shall  be  made  by  which  the  chiefs  and  head  men  of  said 
bands  may,  in  their  discretion,  in  open  council,  authorize  to 
be  paid  out  of  the  proceeds  of  said  tract,  such  sum  or  sums 
as  may  be  found  necessary  and  proper,  not  exceeding 
seventy  thousand  dollars,  to  satisfy  their  just  debts  and 
obligations,  and  to  provide  goods  to  be  taken  by  said  chiefs 
and  head  men  to  the  said  bands  upon  their  return :  Pro- 
vided, however,  That  their  said  determinations  shall  be 
approved  by  the  superintendent  of  Indian  affairs  for  the 
northern  superintendency  for  the  time  being,  and  the  said 
payments  be  authorized  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior. 

"ARTICLE  IV.  The  lands  retained  and  to  be  held  by  the 


238  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

members  of  the  Mendawakantoii  and  Wahpakoota  bands 
of  the  Dakota  or  Sioux  Indians,  under  and  by  virtue  of  the 
first  article  of  this  agreement,  shall,  to  all  intents  and 
purposes  whatever,  be  deemed  and  held  to  be  an  Indian 
reservation ;  and  the  laws  which  have  been,  or  may  here- 
after be  enacted  by  Congress,  to  regulate  trade  and  inter- 
course with  the  Indian  tribes,  shall  have  full  force  and  effect 
over  and  within  the  limits  of  the  same  ;  and  no  person 
other  than  the  members  of  the  said  bands,  to  be  ascertained 
and  defined  under  such  regulations  as  the  Secretary  of  the 
Interior  shall  prescribe,  unless  such  as  may  be  duly  licensed 
to  trade  with  said  bands,  or  employed  for  their  benefit,  or 
members  of  the  family  of  such  persons,  shah1  be  permitted 
to  reside  or  make  any  settlement  upon  any  part  of  said 
reservation  ;  and  the  timbered  land  allotted  to  individuals, 
and  also  that  reserved  for  subsequent  distribution  as  pro- 
vided in  the  first  article  of  this  agreement,  shall  be  free 
from  ah1  trespass,  use,  or  occupation,  except  as  hereinafter 
provided. 

"ARTICLE  V.  The  United  States  shah1  have  the  right  to 
establish  and  maintain  upon  said  reservation  such  military 
posts,  agencies,  schools,  mills,  shops,  roads,  and  agricultural 
or  mechanical  improvements,  as  may  be  deemed  necessary, 
but  no  greater  quantity  of  land  or  timber  shall  be  taken 
and  used  for  said  purposes  than  shall  be  actually  requisite 
therefor.  And  if  in  the  establishment  or  maintenance  of 
such  posts,  agencies,  roads  or  other  improvements,  the 
timber  or  other  property  of  any  individual  Indian  shall  be 
taken,  injured,  or  destroyed,  just  and  adequate  compensa- 
tion shah1  be  made  therefor  by  the  United  Stales.  Roads  or 
highways  authorized  by  competent  authority  other  than  the 
United  States,  the  lines  of  which  shall  lie  through  said 
reservation,  shall  have  the  right  of  way  through  the  same, 
upon  the  fair  and  just  value  of  such  right  being  paid  to  the 
said  Mendawakanton  and  Wahpakoota  bands  by  the  party 
or  parties  authorizing  or  interested  in  the  same,  to  be 


DAKOTA,  OB  SIOUX  CONFEDERACY.  239 

assessed  and  determined  in  such  manner  as  the  Secretary 
of  the  Interior  shall  direct. 

"ARTICLE  VI.  The  Mendawakanton  and  Wahpakoota 
ba-nds  of  Dakota  or  Sioux  Indians  acknowledge  their  de- 
pendence on  the  government  of  the  United  States,  and  do 
hereby  pledge  and  bind  themselves  to  preserve  friendly 
relations  with  the  citizens  thereof,  and  to  commit  no  injuries 
or  depredations  on  their  persons  or  property,  nor  on  those 
of  the  members  of  any  other  tribe ;  but  in  case  of  any  such 
injury  or  depredation,  full  compensation  shall,  as  far  as 
practicable,  be  made  therefor  out  of  their  moneys  in  the 
hands  of  the  United  States ;  the  amount  in  ah1  cases  to  be 
determined  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior.  They  further 
pledge  themselves  not  to  engage  in  hostilities  with  the 
Indians  of  any  other  tribe  unless  in  self-defense,  but  to 
submit,  through  their  agent,  all  matters  of  dispute  and  diffi- 
culty between  themselves  and  other  Indians,  for  the  decision 
of  the  President  of  the  United  States,  and  to  acquiesce  in 
and  abide  thereby.  They  also  agree  to  deliver  to  the  proper 
officers  all  persons  belonging  to  their  said  bands  who  may 
become  offenders  against  the  treaties,  laws,  or  regulations 
of  the  United  States,  or  the  laws  of  the  State  of  Minnesota, 
and  to  assist  in  discovering,  pursuing,  and  capturing  all 
such  offenders  whenever  required  so  to  do  by  such  officers, 
through  the  agent  or  other  proper  officer  of  the  Indian 
department. 

"ARTICLE  VII.  To  aid  in  preventing  the  evils  of  intem- 
perance, it  is  hereby  stipulated  that  if  any  of  the  members 
of  the  said  Mendawakanton  and  Wahpakoota  bands  of 
Sioux  Indians  shall  drink,  or  procure  for  others,  intoxicating 
liquors,  their  proportion  of  the  annuities  of  said  bands  shall, 
at  the  discretion  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  be  with- 
held from  them  for  the  period  of  at  least  one  year ;  and  for 
a  violation  of  any  of  the  stipulations  of  this  agreement  on 
the  part  of  any  members  of  said  bands,  the  persons  so 
offending  shall  be  liable  to  have  their  annuities  withheld, 


240  UPPEB  MISSISSIPPI. 

and  to  be  subject  to  such  other  punishment  as  the  Secretary 
of  the  Interior  may  prescribe. 

"ARTICLE  VIII.  Such  of  the  stipulations  of  former  treaties 
as  provided  for  the  payment  of  particular  sums  of  money  to 
the  said  Mendawakanton  and  Wahpakoota  bands,  or  for  the 
application  or  expenditure  of  specific  amounts  for  particular 
objects  or  purposes,  shall  be,  and  hereby  are,  so  amended 
and  changed  as  to  invest  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  with 
discretionary  power  in  regai'd  to  the  manner  and  objects  of 
the  annual  expenditure  of  all  such  sums  or  amounts  which 
have  accrued  and  are  now  due  to  said  bands,  together  with 
the  amount  the  said  bands  shall  become  annually  entitled 
to  under  and  by  virtue  of  the  provisions  of  this  agreement : 
Provided,  The  said  sums  or  amounts  shall  be  expended  for 
the  benefit  of  said  bands  at  such  time  or  times,  and  in  such 
manner  as  the  said  Secretary  shall  deem  best  calculated  to 
promote  their  interests,  welfare,  and  advance  in  civilization. 
And  it  is  further  agreed,  that  such  change  may  be  made  in 
the  stipulations  of  former  treaties  which  provide  for  the 
payment  of  particular  sums  for  specified  purposes,  as  to 
permit  the  chiefs  and  braves  of  said  bands,  or  any  of  the 
subdivisions  of  said  bands,  with  the  sanction  of  the  Secre- 
tary of  the  Interior,  to  authorize  such  payment  or  expendi- 
tures of  their  annuities,  or  any  portion  thereof,  which  are  to 
become  due  hereafter,  as  may  be  deemed  best  for  the  gen- 
eral interests  and  welfare  of  the  said  bands  or  subdivisions 
thereof." 

The  same  difficulty  existing  with  the  Sisseton  and  Wah- 
paton  bands  of  the  Sioux,  under  their  treaty  of  July  23rd, 
1851,  a  new  treaty  was  also  made  with  them,  of  the  date  of 
June  19th,  1858,  containing  nearly  the  same  provisions  as 
the  treaty  with  the  other  bands. 

Both  of  the  foregoing  treaties  were  ratified,  without 
amendment,  by  the  President,  March  31st,  1859. 

The  treaty  of  1858,  providing  for  the  survey  and  allotment 
of  eighty  acres  in  severalty  to  each  head  of  a  family,  and  to 


DAKOTA,  OE  SIOUX  CONFEDERACY.  241 

each  person  under  twenty-one  years  of  age,  placet  the 
Sioux  bands  in  position  for  civilization,  and  the  energies  of 
government  were  pointed  in  that  direction.  An  attempt 
had  been  made  soon  after  the  treaty  of  1837  to  induce  the 
Sioux  to  learn  agriculture,  by  appointing  farmers  amongst 
them ;  but  it  \v  as  thoroughly  demonstrated  that  an  Indian 
would  not  become  a  farmer  until  he  could  be  protected  in 
the  enjoyment  of  the  fruits  of  his  labor. 

In  1835  attempts  were  successfully  made  to  introduce 
Christianity  among  the  Sioux,  and  from  that  time  civiliza- 
tion began  to  attract  their  attention.  In  1856  the  "  Hazel- 
wood  Republic"  was  formed,  by  the  association  of  a  few  of 
the  Sissetons  and  Wah-pay-tons  most  advanced  in  civiliza- 
tion, who  desired  to  throw  off  their  tribal  relations.  They 
elected  a  president  and  council,  and  a  part  of  them  put  on 
the  white  man's  dress.  In  the  fall  of  1857  twelve  families 
of  the  Menda-wah-kan-tons  and  Wah-pah-koo-tah  bands 
formed  a  similar  association,  and  bound  themselves  to  wear 
the  white  man's  dress,  and  refrain  from  the  use  of  spirituous 
liquors.  During  the  year  ending  September  30th,  1858, 
some  forty-five  houses  were  built  for  individuals  of  the  two 
latter  bands,  and  from  two  to  five  acres  ploughed  about  each 
house.  Among  the  Sisseton  and  Wah-pay-ton  bands  nine 
houses  were  put  up,  mainly  by  the  Indians,  and  some  fields 
cultivated.  The  machinery  of  three  steam  saw-mills  was 
sent  for,  and  special  efforts  made  for  future  improvement. 
The  Hon.  Joseph  R.  Brown  had  been  appointed  Indian 
agent  for  the  Sioux,  and  being  a  man  of  judgment  and 
ability,  and  long  connected  with  those  Indians  as  a  trader, 
he  well  understood  their  necessities,  and  set  himself  vigor- 
ously at  work  to  improve  their  condition. 

Previous  to  the  treaty  of  1858,  nearly  a  million  of  money 
had  been  expended  by  the  government  for  the  civilization 
of  these  Indians ;  but  in  despair  the  Commissioner  of 
Indian  Affairs  stated  in  his  official  report  of  November,  1857, 
that  "  they  have  been  indolent,  extravagant,  and  intem- 
16 


242  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

perate,  and  have  wasted  their  means  without  improving,  or 
seeming  to  desire  to  improve  their  condition." 

The  inducements  held  out  to  the  Indians  for  going  to 
farming,  under  the  treaty  of  1858,  was  to  give  each  Indian 
eighty  acres  of  land,  a  yoke  of  oxen,  one  wagon,  farming 
utensils  and  seed,  and  help  him  build  a  good,  comfortable 
house,  and  break  and  fence  a  portion  of  the  land.  The 
evidence  required  of  the  Indians  as  a  pledge  on  their  part 
that  they  would  continue  as  farmers,  was  that  they  should 
submit  to  have  their  hair  cut  in  American  style,  and  thereby 
lose  their  "  scalp  lock,"  and  that  they  should  put  "on  the 
American  dress. 

In  1859,  the  agent  reported  that  over  two  hundred,  princi- 
pally heads  of  families,  including  some  chiefs,  who  had  been 
"  shorn  of  the  scalp  lock,"  had  presented  themselves  as 
candidates  for  farmers,  and  were  contemptuously  called  by 
their  brethren  the  "  white  Indians."  Thus  these  favorable 
omens  of  civilization  were  accompanied  by  sneers  and  the 
contemptuous  treatment  of  other  portions  of  the  tribe,  which 
at  times  extended  to  open  violence.  Much  of  this  opposi- 
tion was  generated  by  the  "  medicine  men,"  or  pagan  priests, 
who  correctly  imagined  that  the  complete  success  of  this 
movement  would  destroy  their  occupation  and  influence; 
hence  they  were  assiduous  in  stirring  up  opposition.  To 
defend  the  farmer  Indians,  the  agent  was  obliged  to  call  for 
military  assistance  from  the  United  States  troops. 

During  1859,  government  furnished  seeds  and  agricul- 
tural implements  to  the  value  of  $2,450,  and  oxen,  wagons, 
and  plows  to  the  value  of  $17,000,  and  plowed  1,816  acres 
of  land.  The  machinery  for  three  saw-mills,  two  shingle 
and  two  lath  mills,  were  put  in  operation,  and  a  consider- 
able amount  of  lumber  manufactured. 

The  educational  department  was  not  neglected,  and  two 
buildings  for  superintendent  of  schools,  and  two  for  manual 
labor  schools,  and  some  other  school-houses  were  erected, 


DAKOTA,  OB  SIOUX  CONFEDERACY.  243 

at  the  aggregate  expense  of  $2,985,  and  several  schools  put 
in  operation. 

Captain  Gibson,  of  the  second  artillery,  who  attended  at 
the  payments  to  the  Sioux  in  June,  1860,  in  his  Official  dis- 
patch, speaking  of  the  Indian  improvements,  said :  "  The 
agent  began  this  movement  in  1858  with  sixteen  Indians, 
who  were  persuaded  by  Superintendent  Cullen  to  be  shorn 
of  their  '  scalp  locks,'  and  put  on  the  white  man's  dress. 
.  .  .  The  next  year,  two  of  the  most  noted  chiefs, 
Wabashaw  and  Wakute,  with  more  than  a  hundred  others, 
submitted  to  the  same  ordeal.  .  .  .  Without  the  aid 
and  sj^eld  of  government,  the  farming  Indian  could  not 
continue  his  work  one  moment ;  without  that  assurance, 
not  one  would  dare  to  throw  off  the  blanket ;  protection  is 
the  salvation  of  this  work.  .  .  .  For  want  of  protection, 
the  '  Hazelwood  Republic,'  that  commenced  auspiciously, 
has  already  been  broken  up  by  the  hostilities,  the  unchecked 
and  still  unpunished  depredations  and  murders  committed 
by  the  neighboring  bands." 

But  in  the  midst  of  their  prosperity  came  also  adver- 
sity, and  the  demon  of  1861  hurled  his  arrows  of  sorrow 
at  the  poor  Sioux.  Consequent  upon  the  change  of 
President  was  the  change  of  officers  connected  with  the 
civilization  of  the  tribe,  and  the  poor  Sioux,  who  had  so 
patiently  toiled  under  the  direction  of  the  genial  face  of 
Hon.  J.  R.  Brown,  were  obliged  to  look  upon  the  strange 
face  of  a  new  agent.  The  troops  which  had  protected  them 
were  withdrawn,  to  go  to  the  defence  of  Washington,  and 
the  vague  rumors  of  the  great  rebellion  crept  slowly  into 
the  suspicious  mind  of  the  untutored  savage. 

The  new  agent  of  schools  found  "  scarcely  a  building 
on  the  reservation  adapted  for  any  kind  of  school  use,"  and 
that,  "  if  schools  are  kept,  additions  must  be  made  to  the 
shells  called  school  buildings ;"  and  further,  that  "  not  one 
dollar  has  been  received  from  any  quarter  applicable  to 
school  purposes  since  my  appointment,  the  first  of  June  last, 


244  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

consequently  but  little  has  been  done  upon  which  to  report." 
He  even  "  discontinued  the  manual  labor  school." 

The  general  agent  for  the  Sioux,  October  1st,  1861, 
reported  that  a  military  force  was  necessary,  and  further 
remarked :  "  I  will  simply  say  that  there  is  no  available 
force  now  for  this  purpose,  and  that  if  such  force  is  not  pro- 
vided, the  work  of  civilization  must  be  greatly  retarded,  if 
not  abandoned."  The  $6,000  received  by  the  agent  to  pay 
the  employees,  was  partly  applied  to  settle  their  claims  from 
April  1st  to  June  30th,  1861,  leaving  a  small  balance  to 
apply  on  the  future  quarter. 

Finally,  October  5th,  of  the  same  year,  the  acting^  Com- 
missioner of  Indian  Affairs  called  on  the  government  for 
"  seven  companies,  of  one  hundred  each,  of  troops,  one  of 
which  should  be  cavalry,  as  a  guard  for  the  frontier." 
These  difficulties,  which  alarmed  the  government,  were  said 
by  agent  Thompson  to  have  been  caused  by : 

"  1st.  The  allowance,  by  the  department  at  Washington, 
last  year,  of  a  claim  of  $5,500,  which  was  deducted  from 
their  annuity. 

"  2nd.  The  renewal  of  old  questions  by  the  Yanktons,  in 
which  they  claim  that  they  were  part  owners  of  the  lands 
sold  to  the  government  by  the  treaty  of  1851,  by  which  the 
Sissetons  and  Wahpaytons,  bands  of  Sioux,  should  be  allowed 
to  share  in  the  annuities." 

The  Indians  were  temporarily  pacified,  however,  at  the 
payment,  September  16th,  at  "  Yellow  Medicine,"  by  the 
"  presence  of  two  companies  of  troops  from  Fort  Ridgley, 
and  by  liberal  presents  of  beef  cattle,"  and  liberal  promises. 
The  troops  demanded  by  the  commissioner  of  Indian  affairs 
were  not  furnished  by  government,  the  difficulties  and  rob- 
beries accumulated,  and  the  following  year  culminated  in 
the  "  Sioux  massacre." 


CHAPTER  XII. 


THE    SIOUX   MASSACEE. 

THE  Sioux  massacre,  coming  so  unexpectedly,  like  the 
avalanche  from  the  mountain,  and  having  been  so  destruc- 
tive in  its  brief  course,  shocked  the  whole  Union  with 
horror ;  and  the  professional  letter- writers,  really  ignorant 
of  its  origin,  divided  their  invectives  between  the  depravity 
of  the  Indian  and  the  depravity  of  Thomas  J.  Galbraith, 
Esq.,  the  Indian  agent.  A  few,  however,  opponents  of 
civilization  and  Christianity,  with  supercilious  smiles,  asked 
you  to  look  at  "  the  effects  of  twenty-seven  years  of  mis- 
sionary labor,"  and  then  turned  on  their  heels  with  the  most 
profound  contempt  for  all  the  missionary  labors  of  the 
world. 

Through  the  country  the  reports  of  the  cause  of  the 
massacre  might  be  divided  about  as  follows  :  The  whisky- 
sellers  charged  it  directly  on  the  missionaries,  with  whom 
they  were  in  open  hostility.  The  traders  chai-ged  it  upon  the 
agent,  for  delaying  the  payments  so  that  he  could  speculate 
by  exchanging  the  gold,  which  bore  a  large  premium,  for 
greenbacks,  the  traders  having  expected  to  reap  a  great 
harvest  in  getting  the  gold  on  their  Indian  debts,  and 
thereby  securing  the  premium  for  themselves.  The  cunning 
republican,  who  wanted  to  make  a  little  capital  for  his  party, 
charged  the  massacre  to  the  influence  of  "  rebel  sympa- 
thizers ; "  and  those  "  sympathizers,"  in  return,  charged  it 
on  the  imbecility  of  the  administration.  The  land  specu- 


246  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

lators,  who  imagined  that  they  could  see  fortunes  in  the  tidy 
Indian  houses  and  farms,  charged  the  troubles  to  the  total 
depravity  of  the  Indian  character ;  but  some  of  the  good 
missionaries,  more  charitable  to  their  immediate  neighbors, 
charged  the  whole  aifair  to  his  majesty  the  devil,  who  was 
then  engaged  in  one  of  his  raids  on  mankind. 

The  people  of  Minnesota  at  large,  believing  that  the  most 
of  the  charges  were  true,  clamored  for  the  unconditional 
removal  or  extei-mination  of  the  whole  nation  of  Sioux,  and 
accompanied  their  clamor  with  such  threats  as  satisfied  the 
government  that  they  were  in  earnest ;  hence  the  govern- 
ment kept  such  Indians  as  had  surrendered  themselves 
under  a  military  guard  until  the  spring  of  1863,  when  the 
most  of  them  were  sent  and  located  high  up  the  Missouri 
river. 

Agent  Galbraith,  to  turn  the  attention  of  the  public  away 
from  himself,  declared,  in  his  report  on  the  causes  of  the 
massacre,  that  "  ignorance,  indolence,  filth,  lust,  vice,  big- 
otry, superstition  and  crime,  make  up  the  ancient  customs 
of  the  Sioux  Indians,  and  they  adhere  to  the  code  with  a 
tenacity  and  stoicism  indefinable."  In  speaking  of  the 
"  hereditary  war  "  between  the  Sioux  and  Chippeways,  the 
agent  ignored  the  fact,  and  declared  that,  "  There  is  no  war 
or  cause  of  war  existing."  "  The  feather  is  the  cause  of 
those  malicious  murders  committed  on  the  Chippeways,  and 
to  get '  the  feather,'  they  would  just  as  soon  kill  any  body 
else  as  a  Chippeway." 

It  is  too  late  in  the  nineteenth  century  to  ignore  that 
"hereditary  war,"  for  it  is  a  notorious  fact  in  Indian 
history,  that  that  war  has  continued,  with  slight  intervals, 
from  1700  to  the  present  time,  and  that  during  that  one 
hundred  and  sixty-seven  years,  the  Sioux  have  been  driven 
from  Lake  Superior  to  west  of  the  Mississippi,  and  that 
among  the  numerous  villages  vacated  to  the  victorious 
Chippeways,  was  Mille  Lac,  where  was  the  seat  of  the 


THE  SIOUX  MASSACRE.  247 

Dakota  Confederacy  in  1680,  and  where,  by  the  Sioux 
traditions,  they  were  created. 

It  is  equally  in  conflict  with  history  that  the  Sioux  are  so 
degraded  and  vicious,  or  such  "  inveterate  cowards." 
Three  successive  attacks  on  Fort  Ridgley,  under  a  shower 
of  shells  from  the  cannon  in  the  fort,  besides  a  heavy  fire  of 
musketry,  the  last  attack  lasting  nearly  five  hours,  ought  of 
itself  to  clear  the  Indians  of  the  charge  of  cowardice ;  and 
their  delivering  up  several  hundred  captives  without  ransom, 
ought  to  be  passed  to  the  credit  of  their  "  total  depravity." 

The  Sioux,  like  the  other  tribes  of  Indians,  have  their 
peculiar  manners  and  customs,  with  which  the  whites  have 
long  since  become  familiar,  among  which  are  killing  women 
and  children  in  war.  Such  being  the  Indian  custom,  we 
have  almost  uniformly  retaliated  in  kind,  and  it  has  long 
since  been  understood,  that  an  Indian  war  is  extermination 
on  both  sides.  This  system  of  extermination  was  practiced 
in  the  King  Philip's  war  by  the  people  of  Massachusetts,  by 
the  Dutch  of  Manhattan,  and  the  battle  of  Bad  Ax  showed 
no  change.  Even  in  this  Sioux  war  we  have  taken  com- 
paratively no  prisoners,  except  such  as  the  civilized  Indians 
voluntarily  delivered  up  to  General  Sibley,  thirty-three  of 
whom  were  tried,  convicted,  and  hung,  for  aiding  in  the 
war,  and  nearly  two  hundred  and  seventy  more  were  lately 
under  the  sentence  of  death,  which  the  President  refused  to 
carry  into  effect. 

But  agent  Galbraith  evidently  comes  nearer  the  merits  of 
the  cause  of  the  war,  when  he  states  in  his  report  that  the 
Sioux  "  recited  that,  at  the  treaty,  it  was  promised  them 
that  each  one  of  them  should  have  one  blanket  at  least 
every  year,  and  plenty  of  pork,  flour  and  sugar  to  eat,  and 
that  every  hunter  should  have  his  gun,  and  all  the  ammu- 
nition he  wanted ;  that  white  men  would  be  hired  to  do  all 
their  work,  and  that  coffee,  tea,  tobacco,  hatchets,  and  such 
like,  in  large  quantities,  would  be  furnished  them,  and  they 
should  have  '  all  they  wanted ;'  in  addition  to  all  of  which 


248  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

things,  money  to  the  amount  of  $40,000  to  the  upper,  and 
$46,000  to  the  lower  bands,  would  be  paid  to  them  every 
year,  and  that  they  should  be  taken  care  of  and  never  suffer 
from  want  any  more."  ..."  With  such  statements 
every  speech  teemed,  whether  made  to  the  agent,  superin- 
tendent, or  in  their  own  councils." 

The  agent  further  remarked  in  -his  report :  "In  addition 
to  the  natural  hostility  of  the  wild  Indians  to  the  white  men, 
I  soon  discovered  that  evil-disposed  white  men,  and  half- 
breeds  in  their  interest,  were  engaged  in  keeping  up  this 
hostility,  and  in  fomenting  discontent."  ..."  Although 
my  partiality  to  the  white  party  was  looked  upon  with  great 
jealousy,  yet  I  kept  on  as  best  I  could,  from  the  commence- 
ment until  the  outbreak,  in  aiding  the  work  of  civilization. 
During  my  term,  and  up  to  the  time  of  the  outbreak,  about 
one  hundred  and  seventy-five  Indian  men  had  their  bail- 
out, and  had  adopted  the  habits  and  customs  of  white  men." 
These,  with  the  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  which  had 
been  civilized  under  agent  Brown,  made  three  hundred 
men,  mostly  heads  of  families.  To  see  these  three  hundred 
receive  each  a  suit  of  clothes,  oxen,  wagon,  grain,  farming 
utensils,  house,  and  eighty  acres  of  land  of  the  value  of 
more  than  five  hundred  dollars,  while  the  blanket  Indians 
could  not  get  even  their  necessary  subsistence,  tended  to 
keep  alive  these  jealousies,  which  were  constantly  fomented 
by  the  whisky-sellers,  who  had  been  banished  from  the 
tribe  for  the  protection  of  this  very  civilization. 

This  experiment  at  civilization  was  a  part  of  the  system 
which  government  had  extended  to  most  of  the  tribes  that 
had  lived  on  the  borders  of  civilization,  and  it  was  the  duty 
of  government  to  protect  it  at  all  hazard  against  its  enemies, 
either  white  or  copper-colored.  It  was  based  on  philan- 
thropy for  the  race,  for  it  has  become  definitely  settled  that 
the  only  other  alternative  is  extermination,  to  which  the 
whisky-seller  is  most  happily  devoted. 

Such  being  the  condition  of  the  tribe,  and  the  almost  posi- 


THE  SIOUX  MASSACRE.  249 

tive  certainty  of  an  outbreak  on  the  first  exciting  cause,  the 
Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs  at  Washington,  as  early  as 
October  5th,  1861,  called  for  seven  companies  of  troops,  of 
one  hundred  to  each  company,  for  "  a  guard  to  the 
frontier ;"  but  Secretary  Stanton,  of  the  war  department, 
neglected  to  furnish  the  guard,  and  when  the  outbreak 
occurred,  nearly  a  year  after,  even  Fort  Ridgley  was 
guarded  by  only  eighty  soldiers,  while  the  whole  frontier 
beyond  was  destitute  of  a  single  soldier. 

About  the  25th  of  June,  1862,  near  the  usual  time  of 
making  the  Indian  payments,  several  chiefs  and  head  men 
of  the  Sissetons  and  Wah-pay-tons  visited  the  agency,  and 
inquired  about  the  payments,  and  whether  they  were  going 
to  get  any  money,  alleging  that  they  had  been  told  that 
they  were  not  to  be  paid.  Again,  on  the  13th  of  July,  some 
4,000  of  the  upper  bands  of  the  annuity  Indians,  with  nearly 
1,000  of  the  Yanktons,  assembled  at  the  agency.  The 
agent  inquired  what  they  came  for,  and  they  "  answered  that 
they  were  afraid  something  was  wrong ;  they  feared  they 
would  not  get  their  money,  because  white  men  had  been 
telling  them  so."  As  the  money  was  due  and  daily 
expected,  the  Indians  were  unwilling  to  return  home,  and 
there  was  but  a  limited  supply  of  provisions  to  feed  them. 
As  day  after  day  passed  away,  the  Indians  began  to  com- 
plain of  starvation ;  and,  finally,  on  the  4th  of  August,  to 
the  number  of  nearly  five  hundred  and  fifty,  they  broke 
open  the  warehouse,  and  carried  off  one  hundred  sacks  of 
flour. 

This  outbreak  was  compromised  the  next  day,  by  giving 
the  Indians,  at  their  request,  their  annuity  goods,  and  a 
supply  of  provisions,  and  on  the  9th  of  August  they  left  for 
home. 

During  this  time  the  Indians  became  informed  of  the 
defeat  of  General  McClellan  on  the  peninsula,  and  the  call 
for  600,000  more  troops  by  the  President. 

As  soon  as  the  Indians  left,  the  war  fever  broke  out 
16* 


250  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

among  the  employees  of  government  and  half-breeds  at  the 
agency,  and  the  Indian  agent,  Galbraith,  left  with  a  party 
of  these  volunteers  on  the  13th  day  of  August,  for  Red- 
wood, where  he  enlisted  some  twenty  more  on  the  14th. 
On  the  15th,  he  proceeded  to  Fort  Ridgley,  and  from  thence, 
on  the  16th,  he  changed  his  base  to  New  Ulm ;  and  on  the 
fatal  18th,  in  the  morning,  the  "Renville  Rangers,"  fifty- 
five  strong,  might  have  been  seen,  under  Captain  Galbraith, 
filing  out  of  New  Ulm,  and  winding  their  serpentine  course 
towards  St.  Peter.  War  fevers  are  known  to  be  contagious, 
but  the  captain  does  not  charge  that  it  extended  to  the 
"  cowardly"  Sioux,  although  he  asserted  that  Little  Crow 
had  repeatedly  said  to  him :  "  When  I  arose  this  morning 
and  looked  towards  the  south,  it  seemed  to  me  that  I  could 
see  the  smoke  of  the  big  guns,  and  hear  the  war-whoop  of 
the  contending  soldiers." 

From  ah1  the  investigations  made,  no  evidence  was  found 
that  this  outbreak  was  stimulated  by  rebel  agents  or  sympa- 
thizers, nor  that  it  was  a  preconcerted  conspiracy ;  but,  on 
the  contrary,  Little  Crow  himself  had  promised  to  have  his 
hair  cut  and  civilize,  and  the  government  was  engaged  in 
building  his  house,  whilst  he  was  contributing  his  personal 
attention  to  its  erection,  and  three  days  before  he  expressed 
himself  to  the  agent  Satisfied  with  its  progress. 

The  proximate  cause  of  this  outbreak  may  therefore  be 
summed  up  as  originating : 

1st.  From  the  general  dissatisfaction  of  the  Indians  over 
the  treaty  and  the  efforts  at  civilization,  in  a  great  measure 
generated  by  the  whisky-sellers  and  traders. 

2nd.  The  neglect  of  the  Treasurer  to  make  the  payment 
in  the  usual  time. 

3rd.  The  neglect  of  the  Secretary  of  War  to  furnish  the 
guard  for  the  frontier,  as  demanded  by  the  Commissioner 
of  Indian  Affairs. 

4th.  The  war  fever,  and  the  belief  of  the  Indians  that  the 


THE  SIOUX  MASSACRE.  251 

i 

most  of  the  men  had  left  the  country  to  go  to  the  war,  and 
that  they  were  abandoned  by  the  agent  without  payment. 

There  were  doubtless  many  other  difficulties  that  affected 
the  bands  to  some  extent;  but,  with  less  than  these,  the 
Chippeways  commenced  an  outbreak  at  nearly  the  same 
time,  which  was  happily  put  down  by  a  military  force,  and 
the  presence  of  the  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs,  then  on 
their  way  to  Red  river. 

There  was,  however,  a  more  direct,  exciting  cause,  which 
ignited  the  tinder  of  their  discontent,  which  occurred  as 
follows:  On  Sunday,  August  17,  1862,  at  the  village  of 
Acton,  Meeker  county,  Minnesota,  four  of  the  Lower 
Sioux,  of  Sha-Jca-pee's  band,  part  of  a  hunting  party  of  four- 
teen, returning  from  an  expedition  against  the  Chippeways, 
obtained  whisky,  became  intoxicated,  and  killed  six  persons, 
including  a  man  named  Jones,  from  whom  it  was  alleged 
they  obtained  the  whisky.  This  party  returned  to  their 
village  at  Rice  creek,  called  a  council  of  their  relatives,  and, 
according  to  agent  Galbraith's  report,  discussed  the  matter 
as  follows:  "We  have  killed  white  men,  and  tf  caught, 
must  die.  Let  us  unite  now  and  kill  the  whiles  at  the 
agency.  It  is  a  good  time  to  carry  out  our  original  and 
long-cherished  designs.  The  whites  are  all  gone  to  the  war 
except  the  old  men  and  women  and  children.  We  can  kill 
them  all,  take  their  property,  and  repossess  ourselves  of  the 
land  which  we  sold  them,  and  occupy  it."  The  agent  fur- 
ther, reports  that  "This  harangue  and  others  like  it  had  the 
desired  effect.  About  twenty  warriors  at  once  united  into 
a  war  party,  and  started  for  Redwood  creek,  and  towards 
the  agency.  As  they  proceeded  they  were  joined  by  the 
warriors  of  the  bands  of  Sha-ka-pee,  Little  Crow,  Black 
Dog,  or  Big  Eagle,  Blue  Earth,  and  Passing  Hail,  all  ripe 
for  the  work  proposed.  These  bands  all  had  their  villages 
and  plantings  from  four  to  ten  miles  above  the  lower 
agency,  and  most  of  their  young  men  and  soldiers  belonged 
to  the  soldiers'  lodge. 


252  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

"By  daylight  on  Monday,  the  18th  of  August,  this  war 
party,  now  increased  to  about  two  hundred  soldiers,  armed 
and  fierce  for  the  fray,  proceeded  to  the  lower  agency,  hav- 
ing sent  messengers  to  the  bands  of  Saopi,  Wabasha, 
Wakuta,  Late-Comedu,  and  Husha-sha,  who  resided  above 
and  below  the  agency,  informing  them  of  the  purpose,  and 
asking  and  ordering  them  to  join  the  war  party  forthwith, 
on  pain  of  being  punished,  even  to  death,  in  case  of  refusal. 
As  soon  as  the  news  of  the  uprising  spread,  the  young  men 
of  these  bands  rushed  up  to  the  agency,  and  excitedly  joined 
the  war  party,  now  being  momentarily  augmented  in  num- 
bers, and  stimulated  with  courage  and  resolution."  .  .  . 
"  Many  of  the  chiefs,  old  men  and  farmer  Indians  (generally 
friendly  to  the  whites),  remonstrated  and  even  protested, 
but  ah1  was  in  vain ;  '  the  die  was  cast ;'  madness  ruled  the 
hour.  About  six  o'clock  on  this  sad  and  eventful  Monday 
morning,  the  work  of  death  and  devastation  began." 

This  was  an  attack  at  the  lower  agency,  fifteen  miles 
above  Fort  Ridgley,  on  the  trading  house  of  Stewart  B. 
Garvie,  known  as  "  Myrick's."  It  spread  to  the  other 
stores,  and  soon  reached  the  government  stables,  ware- 
houses, shops  and  dwellings,  which  were  plundered  and 
burned,  the  people  fleeing  in  all  directions,  panic-stricken. 
Some  were  shot  down,  some  captured,  and  the  balance  fled 
for  their  lives. 

According  to  the  report  of  the  agent,  Little  Crow  and  his 
associate  chiefs,  in  the  beginning  intended  to  make  regular 
war,  but  they  failed  to  control  their  young  warriors,  and  it 
soon  turned  into  a  massacre  after  the  style  of  the  eighteenth 
century. 

News  of  the  outbreak  reached  the  Sisseton  and  Wah- 
pay-ton  bands  in  the  afternoon,  and  after  a  division  in 
council,  one  hundred  and  fifty  of  those  bands  resolved  to 
join  the  war  party,  and  at  two  o'clock  the  next  morning 
attacked  another  store  of  Mr.  Garvie,  mortally  wounding 


THE  SIOUX  MASSACRE. 


253 


him,  and  seriously  Mr.  Patwell.     The  balance  of  the  traders 
of  that  locality  fled  and  escaped. 


OTHER-DAY. 

At  Yellow  Medicine  and  Hazelwood  missions,  the  mis- 
sionaries and  government  employees,  numbering  twenty- 
two  men  and  forty  women  and  children,  left  the  agency  at 
early  dawn  of  Tuesday  morning,  under  the  advice  and 
guidance  of  Ampe-tu-to-kecha,  or  Other  Day,  a  full-blooded 
Christian  Indian  chief,  struck  out  into  the  open  prairie,  and 
in  four  days  reached  Shakopee  village,  above  St.  Paul,  on 
the  Minnesota  river. 

Rev.  S.  R.  Riggs  and  Dr.  T.  S.  Williamson,  with  teachers, 
assistants,  and  others,  numbering  forty-five,  of  the  old 
Dakota  mission,  left  Monday  night,  struck  out  into  the 
prairie,  and  reached  the  settlements  on  the  24th,  guided  by 
Chaska  and  some  other  Christian  Indians. 

On  Monday,  at  nine  o'clock  In  the  forenoon,  news  reached 
Fort  Ridgley  of  the  outbreak  at  the  agency  at  Redwood, 
and  Captain  Marsh,  with  about  fifty  of  his  soldiers,  left  for 
the  agency,  but  were  attacked  at  the  ford  near  the  agency, 
and  badly  cut  to  pieces,  with  the  loss  of  the  captain  and 
twenty-three  men  killed ;  fifteen,  however,  succeeded  in 
returning  to  the  fort  the  same  evening.  At  twelve  o'clock, 
noon,  of  Monday,  the  gold  for  the  Indian  payment  reached 
Fort  Ridgley,  having  left  New  York  by  express  August  11, 
only  seven  days  previous. 


254  UPPEB  MISSISSIPPI. 

On  Tuesday  morning  Captain  Galbraith  returned  to  the 
fort  with  fifty  of  his  "  Renville  Rangers,"  which  had  been 
armed  at  St.  Peter,  and  about  the  same  hour  Lieutenant 
Sheehan,  of  company  C,  5th  regiment,  reached  the  fort  with 
a  force  of  fifty  men.  On  Monday,  about  eleven  in  the  fore- 
noon, Indian  parties  commenced  pillaging  and  murdering 
about  the  country. 

After  sacking  the  lower  agency,  the  Indians,  on  Tuesday, 
the  19th,  moved  their  camp  to  Little  Crow's  village,  some 
four  miles  above,  as  a  base  for  further  operations,  while  a 
considerable  force  was  dispatched  to  attack  New  Ulm,  and 
several  foraging  parties  were  sent  out  in  other  directions. 

The  attack  on  New  Ulm  commenced  on  Tuesday,  at 
three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  but  was  successfully  resisted 
by  the  inhabitants,  who  were  reinforced  by  Captain  Flan- 
dreau's  cavalry  at  six  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  when  the 
Indians  were  charged  and  driven  away  with  some  loss. 
This  Indian  force  was  estimated  at  over  two  hundred,  but 
from  the  small  amount  of  damage  done  to  the  town,  the 
estimate  was  probably  too  high. 

Failing  in  their  attack  on  New  Ulm,  this  force,  with 
probably  some  additions,  left  for  Fort  Ridgley,  distant 
eighteen  miles,  where  they  arrived  at  three  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon  of  Wednesday,  and  marching  up  to  the  gateways 
and  windows,  fired  a  murderous  voUey  at  the  men  and 
women  in  the  fort.  According  to  the  report  of  Lieutenant- 
Governor  Donnelly,  of  Minnesota,  made  at  Fort  Ridgley 
the  29th  of  the  same  month  : 

"  It  was  a  surprise.  The  first  announcement  was  a  volley 
fired  through  one  of  the  openings  or  entrances  into  the 
parade  ground  of  the  fort,  doing  at  once  deadly  execution. 
The  men  were  rallied  to  their  posts.  Sergeant  Jones, 
ordnance  sergeant,  attempted  to  use  his  guns,  but,  to  his 
surprise,  found  they  would  not  work.  A  howitzer  was 
brought  into  play,  and  in  the  mean  time  the  sergeant  drew 
the  charges  from  his  pieces,  and  found  that  old  rags  had 


THE  SIOUX  MAS8ACEE.  255 

been  stuffed  into  them.  This  was  the  critical  moment. 
Had  the  courage  of  the  Indians  been  equal  to  the  opportu- 
nity, the  fort  would  have  fallen.  The  garrison  was  alarmed, 
the  women  and  children  screamed  with  uncontrollable  panic, 
und  the  guns  for  a  time  disabled.  But  the  moment  passed, 
never  to  return." 

In  reading  the  foregoing  extract,  we  must  bear  in  mind 
that  Fort  Ridgley  was  a  government  fort,  and  contained 
the  remnant  of  Captain  Marsh's  company,  fifty  men  under 
Lieutenant  Sheehan,  Captain  Galbraith  and  fifty  "  Renville 
Rangers,"  $71,000  in  gold  for  the  Indian  payment,  and  a 
large  number  of  women,  children,  and  refugees  from 
the  devastated  country;  and  in  open  daylight,  with  the 
heavens  lurid  with  burning  buildings,  and  while  their  "  war 
dogs"  were  stuffed  with  old  rags,  those  "  cowardly,  sneak- 
ing, vicious  Indians,"  set  on  by  the  "  devil,"  were  allowed 
to  sneak  up  to  the  fort  and  fire  a  murderous  volley  at  the 
men,  women  and  children  in  the  inside !  No  wonder  that 
the  brave  Captain  Galbraith  should  hold  such  Indians  in 
such  contempt,  for  firing  on  the  "  Renville  Rangers  !M 

The  report  of  the  Lieutenant-Governor  further  says,  "  that 
the  Indians  continued  the  fight  for  three  and  a  quarter 
hours,  from  the  high  grass  and  behind  out-houses,  logs,  and 
every  other  object  that  could  afford  them  shelter."  The 
uneducated  in  Indian  -warfare  will  hardly  be  able  to  com- 
prehend why  a  fort  in  an  Indian  country  should  be  sur- 
rounded with  such  conveniences  for  "  cowardly"  Indians ; 
but  it  is  possible  that  the  brave  Captain  Galbraith  might 
enlighten  us  on  this  subject.  This  battle,  however,  was  not 
very  fatal  to  life,  as  there  were  only  three  killed  and  eight 
wounded  in  the  fort. 

The  following  day,  Thursday,  the  attack  on  the  fort  was 
renewed  at  9  o'clock,  A.  M.,  for  half  an  hour,  and  at  ten 
minutes  to  6  o'clock,  P.  M.,  it  was  again  renewed  for  another 
half  hour. 

On  Friday,  at  ten  minutes  before  2  o'clock,  P.  M.,  a  third 


256  UPPEK  MISSISSIPPI. 

attack  was  made  on  the  fort.  This  continued  for  nearly 
five  hours,  and  was  "  most  determined,  bitter,  and  persist- 
ent, the  guns  sounding  in  one  continuous  rattle ;"  and  "  at 
one  time  a  charging  party  was  placed  close  to  the  fort, 
and  the  half-breeds  could  hear  the  chiefs  shouting  to  the 
warriors  to  charge  into  the  fort  and  seize  the  cannon ;  but 
without  avail;  their  courage  was  not  equal  to  the  task." 
In  this  attack  one  was  killed,  and  a  few  slightly  wounded 
in  the  fort. 

Failing  in  this  final  attack  on  the  fort,  the  Indians,  on 
Saturday  morning,  moved  again  upon  New  Ulm,  and  again 
attacked  that  place  at  half-past  11  o'clock,  A.  M.  In  a  few 
minutes  the  Indians  had  fifteen  houses  in  flames,  and  carried 
on  their  work  of  destruction  with  bravery  until  5  o'clock, 
P.  M.,  when  Captain  Flandreau  rallied  his  cavalry,  and  at 
their  head  charged  the  Indians  in  the  brushwood  at  the 
lower  end  of  the  town,  driving  them  out.  This  partially 
relieved  the  town  for  the  night.  During  the  night,  while 
the  Indians  were  having  their  war  dances  near  by,  the 
forces  in  town  contracted  their  line  of  defence,  and  burnt 
the  buildings  outside  of  the  line,  so  that  they  would  not 
nflbrd  a  shelter  to  the  savages. 

On  Sunday  morning  the  attack  was  renewed  at  long 
range  for  an  hour,  the  Indians  not  daring  to  charge  across 
the  ground  made  vacant  during  the  night,  after  which  they 
withdrew.  During  the  siege  ten  men  were  killed  and  about 
lifty  wounded.  The  Indian  loss  was  supposed  to  be  nearly 
1'orty.  About  noon  a  reinforcement  of  one  hundred  and 
iifty,  under  Captain  Cox,  arrived  from  St.  Peter,  and  the 
following  day  New  Ulm  was  evacuated  without  molestation. 

After  the  repulse  at  New  Ulm,  Little  Crow  broke  camp, 
;ind  changed  his  base  to  Yellow  Medicine,  distant  twenty- 
live  miles  above  Little  Crow's  village,  which  took  two  days, 
us  the  train  of  teams  loaded  with  plunder,  etc.,  was  nearly 
live  miles  long.  At  the  head  of  this  procession  was  unfurled 


THE  SIOUX  MASSACRE.  257 

an  old  British  flag,  while  several  American  flags  gave  a 
military  aspect  to  this  dusky  line. 

At  Yellow  Medicine  some  .time  was  spent  in  councils,  and 
dispatches  were  sent  off  to  the  western  band  of  Sioux,  and 
to  the  British  at  the  Selkirk  settlement,  notifying  them  that 
the  Sioux  had  declared  war  against  the  United  States,  and 
asking  them  for  their  assistance.  In  these  councils,  "Little 
Crow"  urged  that  they  should  immediately  remove  to  the 
Selkirk  settlement,  and  put  themselves  under  the  protection 
of  the  British,  but  he  was  overruled  by  the  other  chiefs. 
While  encamped  here,  "  Standing  Buffalo,"  with  two 
hundred  warriors  of  the  upper  Sissetons,  came  down,  and 
in  council  demanded  of  "  Little  Crow"  the  plunder  taken  at 
Yellow  Medicine  agency,  as  belonging  to  his  band;  but 
"  Little  Crow"  refused,  as  he  had  done  the  fighting  and  was 
entitled  to  the  plunder.  "  Standing  Buffalo"  then  refused 
cooperation  with  "  Little  Crow,"  and  returned  home  with 
his  warriors,  with  some  threats  against  the  belligerent 
parties ;  but  it  is  claimed  that  some  of  his  young  warriors 
afterwards  took  part  with  "  Little  Crow." 

On  the  28th  of  August,  in  the  morning,  Colonel  Sibley 
arrived  at  Fort  Ridgley  with  a  detachment  of  troops  for  the 
relief  of  the  fort,  and  to  carry  on  offensive  operations 
against  the  Indians.  Three  days  after,  Colonel  Sibley  sent 
out  a  detachment  under  Major  Brown,  consisting  of  one 
company  of  infantry  under  Captain  Grant,  and  a  company 
of  cavalry  under  Captain  Anderson,  to  reconoiter  the  country 
above  the  fort,  and  bury  the  dead.  On  the  second  morn- 
ing, at  daybreak,  at  their  camp  in  Birch  Coolie,  this  detach- 
ment were  wakened  from  their  slumbers  by  a  deadly  volley 
from  over  three  hundred  Indians,  distant  only  one  hundred 
and  twenty-five  yards.  The  horses  and  cattle  were  soon  all 
killed  by  the  enemy,  and  became  breast-works  for  our  men  ; 
the  men  also  dug  holes  in  the  ground  for  their  protection. 
Here  they  were  held  in  siege  until  11  o'clock  the  next 
morning,  when  they  were  relieved  by  Colonel  Sibley ;  the 
17 


258  UPPEE  MISSISSIPPI. 

loss  on  our  side  was  twenty-four  killed  and  sixty-seven 
wounded.  The  same  day  these  troops  were  relieved, 
"  Little  Crow"  in  person,  with  one  hundred  and  fifty 
warriors,  made  an  attack  on  the  town  of  Henderson,  but 
were  repulsed.  They  succeeded,  however,  in  carrying  off 
some  plunder.  About  the  same  time  a  considerable  force 
attacked  Fort  Abercrombie,  on  Red  river,  but  were  repulsed. 

Colonel  Sibley,  having  succeeded  in  arming  his  new 
troops,  and  in  obtaining  for  them  ten  days'  provisions,  on 
the  18th  of  September  he  ordered  an  advance,  crossed  the 
river  and  pushed  on  for  the  Yellow  Medicine  agency,  and 
arrived  at  Wood  Lake,  near  the  agency,  on  the  evening  of 
the  22nd.  On  the  morning  of  the  23rd,  the  Indians  in  force 
attacked  Colonel  Sibley  in  camp  some  time  after  sunrise. 

The  Indians  occupied  the  high  grass,  and  had  disguised 
themselves  by  tying  tufts  of  grass  around  their  heads  and 
waists.  The  battle  thus  progressed  until  nearly  noon,  when 
the  Indians,  congregating  in  a  ravine  on  our  right,  Colonel 
Sibley  ordered  the  7th  regiment  Minnesota  volunteers  to 
charge  them.  This  charge  was  led  by  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Marshall,  and  the  Indians  were  routed  and  put  to  flight. 
Unfortunately,  however,  Colonel  Sibley  had  no  sufficient 
mounted  force  to  pursue  the  fleeing  savages.  In  this  charge, 
no  prisoners  were  taken,  and  the  wounded  Indians  were 
bayoneted  by  the  first  soldier  who  reached  them ;  and  their 
repeated  cry  of  "  me  good  Indian,"  was  only  answered  with 
the  bayonet  and  a  curse. 

The  advance  of  Colonel  Sibley  had  induced  the  Indians 
to  remove  their  camp  twenty  miles  fui'ther  up  the  Minnesota 
river,  above  Yellow  Medicine,  where  they  were  at  the  time 
of  this  decisive  battle. 

The  fugitive  Indians  made  no  further  stand,  but  fled 
immediately  to  their  camp,  and  hastened  the  departure  of 
their  families  for  the  wilds  of  the  upper  Missouri  river ; 
while  those  opposed  to  the  war,  and  some  others,  took  the 
prisoners,  established  for  themselves  a  new  camp,  which 


THE  SIOUX  MASSACRE.  259 

they  entrenched  the  same  night,  and  sent  a  flag  of  truce  to 
Colonel  Sibley,  offering  to  surrender  themselves  and  pris- 
oners. 

On  the  26th,  at  noon,  Colonel  Sibley  reached  this  friendly 
camp,  and  marching  partly  round  them,  camped  near  the 
river,  taking  possession  of  the  Indian  camp,  and  relieving 
one  hundred  and  fifty  helpless  women  and  children,  who 
were  held  as  prisoners. 

Lieutenant-Colonel  Marshall  was  dispatched  with  two 
hundred  men  in  pursuit  of  "  Little  Crow,''  but  only  suc- 
ceeded in  capturing  by  surprise  a  small  band  at  Wild- 
Goose-Nest  lake.  "  Little  Crow "  and  his  followers  had 
separated  into  small  parties,  in  the  region  of  the  Coteau 
Des  Prairies,  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Marshall  abandoned 
the  pursuit,  returning  about  the  '21st  of  October,  to  "  Camp 
Release,"  which  name  Colonel  Sibley  had  applied  to  the 
friendly  Indian  camp. 

In  the  mean  time,  Colonel  Sibley  had  caused  a  log  house 
to  be  erected  in  camp  for  a  court  house,  and  had  organized 
a  military  commission  to  try  these  Indians,  who  had 
surrendered  themselves,  for  murder.  This  commission, 
composed  of  Colonel  Crooks,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Marshall, 
Captains  Grant  andBayley,  and  Lieutenant  Olin,  progressed 
with  their  work  until  they  convicted  and  sentenced  to  be 
hung  three  hundred  and  three,  and  to  imprisonment  for  life 
eighteen,  which  were  the  greater  part  of  all  the  male  pris- 
oners then  secured.  The  finding  of  the  commission  was  sent 
to  Washington  for  the  approval  of  the  President.  The 
Commissioner  of  Indian  AiFairs  remonstrated  against  the 
execution  of  the  sentence,  and  the  President  ratified  the 
finding  on  thirty-eight  of  the  most  guilty,  who  were 
accordingly  hung  at  Camp  Lincoln,  near  Mankato,  on  the 
26th  day  of  December,  1862.  Subsequently  two  others 
were  hung  at  Fort  Snelling.  The  ill-fated  Indians,  with 
characteristic  decorum,  ascended  the  platform  singing  their 
death-song,  and  in  one  long  line,  holding  each  other  by  the 


UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

hand,  they  were  sent  to  their  final  hunting-grounds,  the 
Indian's  elysium.  The  balance  of  the  prisoners  were  kept 
under  a  strong  military  guard,  to  protect  them  from  the 
repeated  attempts  of  the  mob  to  murder  them ;  and  on  the 
opening  of  navigation  the  following  spring,  they  were  sent 
to  Davenport. 

Th,e  balance  of  the  Sioux,  being  mostly  women  and  chil- 
dren, about  fifteen  hundred,  were  shipped  by  steamer  in 
May,  1863,  to  Crow  creek,  about  one  hundred  miles  above 
Fort  Randall,  on  the  Missouri  river,  where  they  were  depos- 
ited, surrounded  by  a  stockade  fort,  protected  by  a  military 
force,  and  fed  and  clothed  by  government.  No  annuities 
have  been  paid  the  Sioux  since  the  outbreak.  Our  losses 
during  the  difficulties  were  estimated  by  the  Indian  agent 
at  644  of  men,  women  and  children  in  the  several  massacres, 
and  ninety-three  soldiers  killed  in  the  various  battles.  We 
have  no  estimates  of  the  losses  of  the  Indians. 

On  the  29th  of  May,  1863,  "Little  Crow,"  and  a  party  of 
about  eighty,  visited  the  British  at  Fort  Garry,  on  the  Red 
River  of  the  north,  and  asked  for  assistance.  Governor 
Dallas  only  gave  them  some  provisions,  but  positively 
refused  them  ammunition.  "Little  Crow"  complained 
that  they  were  badly  treated  in  the  war,  for  that,  while  he 
yielded  up  the  white  prisoners,  the  whites  had  hung  the 
Indian  prisoners ;  and  that  they  then  had  no  alternative  but 
to  either  fight  or  be  hung,  unless  they  could  make  peace  on 
fair  terms,  which  they  much  desired ;  and  asked  the  gov- 
ernor to  intercede  for  them. 

But  little  was  accomplished  by  the  military  forces  in  1865, 
towards  subjugating  the  Sioux.  General  Sully  made  a  cam- 
paign from  Fort  Rice  to  Devil's  Lake  and  Mouse  river,  and 
returned  to  Fort  Sully  by  way  of  Fort  Berthol,  without 
meeting  any  considerable  number  of  Indians.  At  the  latter 
fort  he  heard  that  the  Indians,  numbering  about  10,000, 
were  encamped  about  fifty  miles  south-west,  but  with  his 
small  force  of  about  900  he  did  not  deem  it  prudent  to 


THE  SIOUX  MASSACKB.  261 

attack  them.  General  Sully,  however,  reported  that  bands, 
numbering  nearly  3,000  warriors,  had  made  peace  with  him 
in  1864  and  1865. 

During  the  summer  of  1865  there  was  a  difference  of 
opinion  between  the  War  and  Indian  departments,  as  to  the 
question  of  peace  with  the  Sioux ;  but  late  in  August  they 
agreed  on  a  joint  commission  to  visit  the  upper  Missouri, 
and  conclude  a  peace,  composed  of  Governor  Edmonds,  of 
Dakota  Territory,  Major-General  Curtis,  Superintendent 
Taylor,  General  Sibley,  Rev.  H.  W.  Reed,  and  Hon.  Orrin 
Guernsey. 

This  commission  visited  the  Upper  Missouri  country,  and 
made  treaties  of  peace  with  the  following  bands  of  the 
Sioux;  Two  Kettles,  or  Teton,  Lower  Ernie",  Oncpapas, 
Minneconjous,  Yanktonais,  Sans  Arcs,  Upper  Yanktonais, 
Ogallallas,  and  Black  Feet.  These  bands  were  estimated 
at  16,020  souls.  These  treaties  were  ratified  and  proclaimed 
at  Washington,  March  17,  1866,  and  provide  for  a  right  of 
way  through  their  country,  and  allow  any  of  their  people  to 
become  agriculturalists.  Treaties  were  also  made  with  the 
Assiniboins  and  Crows,  securing  the  right  of  transit  and 
small  cessions  of  land,  including  Fort  Union. 

The  Peace  Commissioners  having  recommended  that  the 
Sioux  of  Crow  creek  be  removed  to  a  new  reservation, 
Superintendent  Taylor  selected  six  townships  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Niobrara  river,  in  Nebraska,  for  the  new  reservation, 
and  in  June,  1866,  the  Indians  of  Crow  creek,  and  the 
Davenport  prisoners,  were  settled  upon  the  new  reservation ; 
those  prisoners  having  been  pardoned  by  the  President  on 
the  recommendation  of  their  missionary  and  the  war 
authorities. 

A  portion  of  the  Christian  Indians,  who  had  rendered 
special  service  to  the  whites  at  the  massacre,  and  afterwards 
acted  as  scouts  to  the  troops,  still  occupied  the  old  reserva- 
tion in  Minnesota ;  "  but,"  said  the  Commissioner  of  Indian 
Affairs,  in  April,  1866,  "  many  of  these  men  have,  for  the 


262  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

past  three  years,  been  homeless  wanderers,  and  actually 
suffering  from  want ;  a  very  poor  return  for  services  rendered 
to  the  whites  at  the  risk  of  their  lives."  ..."  Action 
was  taken  by  the  department  about  a  year  ago,  to  select  for 
them  eighty  acres  of  land  each,  upon  the  old  reservation, 
but'  the  feeling  among  the  whites  is  such  as  to  make  it  im- 
possible for  them  to  live  there  in  safety." 

These  Sioux  numbered  in  1866,  according  to  their  mis- 
sionary, two  hundred  and  fifty,  and  contained,  among  others 
of  like  merit :  An-pe-tu-to-ke-cha,  or  "  Other  Day,"  who 
"  guided  sixty-two  missionaries  and  employees  of  Yellow 
Medicine  and  Hazelwood  to  Shakopee  village,  near  St. 
Paul ;"  Taopi,  or  "  Wounded  Man,"  a  chief  who  was  "  the 
leader  in  the  rescue  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  prisoners ;" 
Paul-maza-ker-ta-mane,  who  "  openly  denounced  in  council 
the  hostile  Indians,  and  at  all  times,  at  the  risk  of  his  life, 
declared  his  fidelity  to"  the  whites ;  To-wante-toma,  called 
Lorenzo  Lawrence,  who  "  at  the  risk  of  his  life  rescued  ten 
white  captives,  and  brought  thern  to  Fort  Ridgley ;"  Simon 
An-ang-mani,  who  rescued  four  captives  and  brought  them 
to  Fort  Ridgley ;  Wah-kin-yan-wash-to,  or  "  Good 
Thunder,"  who  assisted  "  Taopi,"  and  "  was  threatened 
with  death  by  '  Little  Crow ;'  "  Zoe  Ha-pa,  a  squaw,  who 
"  at  great  risk  brought  provisions  to  the  island  where  Rev. 
Mr.  Riggs  and  party  were  secreted." 

There  were  other  inconsistencies  among  some  of  the 
people  in  Minnesota.  New  Ulm,  a  village  where  the  mas- 
sacre fell  heaviest,  was  settled  by  German  infidels,  who,  by 
the  papers  of  the  day,  were  reported  as  having  burnt  Jesus 
Christ  in  effigy,  only  a  few  days  before  the  massacre. 
When  the  25th  regiment  Wisconsin  volunteers  were 
stationed  in  the  village  for  their  protection,  the  chaplain 
asked  for  the  use  of  the  town  hall,  in  which  to  have  Sabbath 
religious  services,  there  being  no  church,  and  was  denied ; 
whereupon,  Colonel  Montgomery  marched  his  regiment  into 
the  hall,  and  Rev.  T.  C.  Golden,  the  Methodist  chaplain, 


THE  SIOUX  MASSACRE.  263 

preached  the  first  Christian  sermon  in  the  village.  Some 
of  the  religious  writers  of  the  day  placed  New  Uhn  in  that 
class  of  villages  which  was  headed  by  Sodom,  and  raised 
the  question  whether  New  Ulm  was  not  punished  for  her 
unrighteousness. 

In  the  spring  of  1866,  the  Minnesota  Sioux  petitioned  the 
Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs  for  leave  to  settle  on  the 
new  reservation  at  Niobrara,  which  was  granted;  but  as 
government  could  not  arrange  for  their  removal  in  time  to 
put  in  a  crop,  their  removal  had  not  taken  place  in  October. 

Another  party  of  Minnesota  Sioux,  who  fled  with  "Little 
Crow,"  consisting  of  about  eight  hundred  and  fifty,  have 
surrendered  to  General  Sibley,  protesting  that  they  took  no 
part  in  the  massacre ;  and  the  Commissioner  of  Indian 
Affairs  has  recommended  that  they  be  located  on  a  reserva- 
tion near  Fort  Wardsworth,  on  the  Missouri  river.  The 
treaty  commissioners,  however,  failed  to  make  any  satis- 
factory treaty  with  them  up  to  September,  1866,  and  they 
still  remained  in  the  region  of  Fort  Wardsworth. 

During  all  the  trials  incident  to  this  unfortunate  Indian 
war,  the  powers  of  the  missionaries  were  brought  in  requi- 
sition to  ease  the  misfortunes  of  the  prisoners  and  persecuted 
friendly  Sioux;  and  during  1866,  Rev.  Mr.  Hinman  and 
Bishop  Whipple  attended  to  the  interest  of  those  in  Minne- 
sota, Rev.  John  P.  Williamson,  at  Crow  creek  and 
Niobrara,  while  Rev.  Mr.  Riggs  had  attended  on  the 
prisoners  at  Davenport  the  most  of  the  time  during  their 
confinement. 

The  Yankton  band,  during  the  war,  gave  no  aid  or  com- 
fort to  their  brothers  in  arms,  and  in  1866  cultivated  over 
1,000  acres  of  corn,  on  their  reservation  on  the  Missouri 
river.  According  to  the  agent's  report,  October  1st,  1866, 
they  were  "  peaceable,  contented,  and  to  a  limited  degree 
industrious."  There  are  neither  schools  or  missionaries 
among  the  Yanktons,  or  any  other  of  the  ten  bands  of 
Sioux  in  Dakota  territory. 


264  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

Those  of  the  Minnesota  Sioux  who  continued  hostile  to 
government  in  1866,  are  reported  to  be  in  the  region  of 
Fort  Garry,  in  the  British  possessions. 

In  the  spring  of  1867,  General  Sherman  organized  a  strong 
military  force  against  the  hostile  Indians,  and  the  war,  it  is 
hoped,  will  close  with  a  satisfactory  peace  during  the 
summer. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


THE    OJLBWA    CONFEDERACY. 

THIS  tribe  call  themselves  Ojibwa,  or  Leapers,  contracting 
the  name  from  people  at  the  leaping  water,  or  falls ;  hence 
the  French  called  them  Saulteurs,  and  the  Sioux,  Hah-hah- 
ton-wah.  The  English  traders  corrupted  the  word  to  Chip- 
pew  ays,  which  is  the  modern  pronunciation  in  the  north- 
west. This  was  originally  a  small  band  of  Algonquins, 
found  at  the  falls  at  the  outlet  of  Lake  Superior  in  1641,  by 
the  Jesuit  missionaries. 

When  the  brave  Iroquois  had  swept  the  confederate 
nations  from  Lake  Huron,  and  with  3,000  warriors  had 
stormed  the  fortified  heights  of  Mackinaw  island,  the  fugi- 
tive nations  divided,  and  part  fled  to  Green  Bay,  while  the 
balance  took  shelter  in  the  thick  pines  of  the  south  shore  of;  / 
Lake  Superior.  The  latter  were  pursued,  and,  according 
to  Chlppe way  tradition,  another  battle  was  fought  atJVacfo- 
wegoning,  or  place  of  Iroquois  bones,  now  believed  to  be, 
Whitefish  Point,  at  which  the  Chippeways  claimed  a  com 
plete  victory.  This  was  probably  about  1652,  as  the  follow 
ing  year  the  Iroquois  were  known  to  be  fully  engaged  in  a 
new  war  with  the  Eries  near  Buifalo,  New  York. 

But  this   victory  is  very  doubtful,    as   the   confederate 
nations  continued  their  flight,  and  in  1660  a  small  part  ofh 
them  were  found  at  Kewenaw  bay  ;  and  the  greater  part  at  • 
the  west  end  of  Lake  Superior,  in  1665,  where  they  remained 
until  they  were  driven  out  by  the  Sioux  in  the  spring  of 
17* 


266  UPPEK  MISSISSIPPI. 

1671,  and  after  the  peace  made  by  the  French  with  the 
Iroquois  in  1666. 

About  this  time  the  Christinaux,  or  Kilistinons,  an 
Algonquin  nation  inhabiting  the  country  between  Lake 
Superior  and  Hudson's  bay,  having  obtained  arms  of  the 
English  traders  at  the  latter  bay,  according  to  French 
authority,  attacked  the  Sioux  on  the  north,  and  thereby 
became  allies  with  the  Chippeways,  in  a  war  against  the 
•Sioux.  This  war  continued  until  1679,  when  Captain  De 
Lut  visited  the  head  of  Lake  Superior,  took  possession  of 
the  country  in  the  name  of  the  King  of  France,  and  made 
peace  between  the  northern  nations  and  the  Assiniboins,  the 
great  northern  band  of  the  Sioux,  without  consulting  the 
bands  of  the  Sioux  Confederacy. 

This  gave  offence  to  the  southern  bands,  but  as  they  were 
engaged  in  the  war  with  the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  and  other 
tribes  of  fugitive  Algonquin  nations  of  southern  Wisconsin 
and  Illinois,  they  did  not  appear  to  have  specially  continued 
the  war  at  the  north  at  that  time ;  but  subsequently,  some  of 
the  southern  Sioux  visiting  the  northern  band  of  Assiniboins, 
found  among  them  some  of  the  Kilistinons,  and  killed  them 
as  enemies.  This  caused  a  renewal  of  the  war  in  1700,  in 
which  the  Assiniboins  joined  the  northern  nations  against 
their  own  confederacy,  the  Chippeways  uniting  with  the 
Kilistinons. 

r— -T-he  brave  Dakotas  of  the  south,  as  skillful  in  diplomacy 
as  in  war,  negotiated  a  peace  with  the  Sacs,  Foxes,  Winne- 
bagoes,  and  other  nations  of  the  Wisconsin  and  Fox  rivers, 
and  in  1702  engaged  them  to  take  up  arms  against  the 
"northern  alliance.  This  new  combination  greatly  disgusted 
the  French,  as  they  were  using  every  art  in  their  power  to 
array  all  the  northern  nations  against  the  English  colonies. 
They  scolded  and  threatened  the  Foxes,  as  the  principal 
offenders,  and  in  1712  entrapped  and  massacred  a  hunting 
party  of  nearly  1,000  men,  women  and  children,  of  the 
Foxes  and  Mascoteus  at  Detroit.  This  war  continued  for 


THE  OJIBWA  CONFEDERACY.  267 

fifty-two  years,  the  French  giving  their  influence  for  the 
northern  alliance,  and  twice  sending  armies  from  Canada 
against  the  Foxes  and  other  nations  in  southern  Wisconsin. 
Finally,  the  necessities  of  the  French  increasing  by  the  por- 
tentous struggle  of  1755,  they  succeeded  the  previous  year 
in  drawing  off  the  Sacs,  Foxes,  Winnebagoes,  and  other 
southern  Wisconsin  Indians  from  their  Sioux  alliance,  and 
engaged  them  in  the  great  war  against  the  English.  The 
Sioux,  however,  could  never  be  coaxed  into  this  latter  war. 

After  the  fall  of  Canada,  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  renewed 
their  war  against  the  Illinois,  who  had  long  been  allies  of 
the  French  against  them,  and  extended  their  conquests  into 
the  present  State  of  Iowa ;  while  the  Chippeways  of  the 
north  renewed  their  war  against  the  Dakotas,  which  has 
continued  at  intervals  until  the  present  time.  Thus  the 
insignificant  band  of  Ojibwas,  by  the  aid  of  the  French  and 
their  continued  alliances  with  the  Algonquins,  or  as  called  by 
the  Iroquois,  the  Adirondacks,  or  bark-eaters,  have  become 
the  mighty  confederacy  of  Chippeways,  and  have  conquered 
the  Dakotas  all  northern  Wisconsin  and  Minnesota. 

Various  treaties  were  made  with  the  Chippeways  and 
Ottawas  of  Michigan,  ceding  lands  to  the  United  States,  in 
the  States  of  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Michigan ;  but  the  first 
treaty  of  any  importance  reaching  to  Lake  Superior,  was 
that  of  the  28th  of  March,  1836.  By  this  treaty,  those  tribes 
ceded  all  the  country  from  Grand  river,  Michigan,  north  to 
Lake  Huron  and  Lake  Superior,  and  west  to  the  Chocolate 
river  of  Lake  Superior,  and  Skonawba  river  of  Green  Bay, 
making,  however,  several  large  reservations. 

The  next  important  treaty  with  the  Chippeways,  was  that 
of  July  29,  1837,  by  which  they  ceded  a  large  tract  of  land 
in  the  then  territory  of  Wisconsin,  described  in  the  treaty 
as  follows : 

"  Beginning  at  the  junction  of  the  Crow  Wing  and  Mis- 
sissippi rivers,  between  twenty  and  thirty  miles  above  where 
the  Mississippi  is  crossed  by  the  forty-sixth  parallel  of  north 


268  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

latitude,  and  running  thence  to  the  north  point  of  Lake  St. 
Croix,  one  of  the  sources  of  the  St.  Croix  river ;  thence  to 
and  along  the  dividing  ridge  between  the  waters  of  Lake 
Superior  and  those  of  the  Mississippi,  to  the  sources  of  the 
Ocha-sau-sepe,  a  tributary  of  the  Chippewa  river ;  thence 
to  a  point  on  the  Chippewa  river,  twenty  miles  below  the 
outlet  of  Lake  De  Flambeau;  thence  to  the  junction  of  the 
Wisconsin  and  Pelican  rivers ;  thence  on  an  east  course 
twenty-five  miles;  thence  southerly,  on  a  course  parallel 
with  that  of  the  Wisconsin  river,  to  the  line  dividing  the 
territories  of  the  Chippeways  and  Menominies ;  thence  to 
the  Plover  portage ;  thence  along  the  southern  boundary  of 
the  Chippewa  country,  to  the  commencement  of  the  boun- 
dary line  dividing  it  from  that  of  the  Sioux,  half  a  day's 
march  below  the  falls  on  the  Chippewa  river ;  thence  with 
said  boundary  line  to  the  mouth  of  Wah-tap  river,  at  its 
junction  with  the  Mississippi ;  and  thence  up  the  Mississippi 
to  the  place  of  beginning." 

In  the  second  article  of  the  treaty  it  was  provided  that, 
"  In  consideration  of  the  cession  aforesaid,  the  United 
States  agree  to  make  to  the  Chippeway  nation,  annually, 
for  the  term  of  twenty  years,  from  the  date  of  the  ratifica- 
tion of  this  treaty,  the  following  payments  : 

1.  Nine  thousand  five  hundred   dollars,  to  be  paid  in 
money. 

2.  Nineteen  thousand  dollars,  to  be  delivered  in  goods. 

3.  Three  thousand  dollars  for  establishing  three  black- 
smiths' shops,  supporting  the  blacksmiths,  and  furnishing 
them  with  iron  and  steel. 

4.  One  thousand  dollars  for  farmers,  and  for  supplying 
them  and  the  Indians  with  implements  of  labor,  with  grain 
or  seed,  and  whatever  else  may  be  necessary  to  enable  them 
to  carry  on  their  agricultural  pursuits. 

5.  Two  thousand  dollars  in  provisions. 

6.  Five  hundred  dollars  in  tobacco. 

The  third  article  of  the  treaty  provided  that  "  The  sum 


THE  OJIBWA  CONFEDERACY.  269 

of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  shall  be  paid  to  the  half- 
breeds"  by  the  United  States;  and  the  fourth  article 
required  the  additional  sum  of  $70,000,  to  "  be  applied  to 
the  payment  by  the  United  States,  of  certain  claims  against 
the  Indians  "  by  the  traders. 

By  the  treaty  of  October  4,  1842,  all  the  northern  portion 
of  Wisconsin  was  ceded  to  the  United  States,  by  the  fol- 
lowing boundaries : 

"Beginning  at  the  mouth  of  Chocolate  river  of  Lake 
Superior;  thence  north-westwardly  across  said  lake  to  inter- 
sect the  boundary  line  between  the  United  States  and  the 
province  of  Canada ;  thence  up  said  Lake  Superior  tb  the 
mouth  of  the  St.  Louis,  or  Fond  Du  Lac  river  (including  all 
the  islands  in  said  lake)  ;  thence  up  said  river  to  the  Ameri- 
can Fur  Company's  trading-post,  at  the  southwardly  bend 
thereof,  about  twenty-two  miles  from  its  mouth ;  thence 
south,  to  intersect  the  line  of  the  treaty  of  29th  July,  1837, 
with  the  Chippeways  of  the  Mississippi ;  thence  along  said 
lake  to  its  south-eastwardly  extremity,  near  the  Plover 
portage  on  the  Wisconsin  river ;  thence  north-eastwardly, 
along  the  boundary  line  between  the  Chippeways  and  Men- 
ominies,  to  its  eastern  termination,  on  the  Skanawba  river 
of  Green  Bay  ;  thence  northwardly  to  the  source  of  Choco- 
late river ;  thence  down  said  river  to  its  mouth,  the  place  of 
beginning." 

By  Article  IV.,  of  the  same  treaty,  it  was  provided :  "  In 
consideration  of  the  foregoing  cession,  the  United  States 
engage  to  pay  to  the  Chippeway  Indians  of  the  Mississippi 
and  Lake  Superior,  annually,  for  twenty-five  years,  $12,500 
in  specie,  $10,500  in  goods,  $2,000  in  provisions  and  tobacco, 
$2,000  for  the  support  of  two  blacksmiths'  shops  (including 
pay  of  smiths,  asssistants,  and  iron,  steel,  etc.),  $1,000  for 
pay  of  two  farmers,  $1,200  for  pay  of  two  carpenters,  and 
$2,000  for  the  support  of  schools  for  the  Indians  parties  to 
this  treaty ;  and  further,  the  United  States  engage  to  pay 
the  sum  of  $5,000  as  an  agricultural  fund,  to  be  expended 


270  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

under  the  direction  of  the  Secretary  of  War.  And  also  the 
sum  of  $75,000  shall  be  allowed  for  the  full  satisfaction  of 
their  debts  within  the  ceded  district."  Also,  the  United 
States  paid  $15,000  for  the  half-breeds  of  the  tribe. 

The  next  treaty  with  the  Chippeways  was  made  at  Fond 
Du  Lac,  of  Lake  Superior,  August  2,  1847,  by  which  they 
ceded  the  following  tract : 

"  Beginning  at  the  junction  of  the  Crow  Wing  and 
Mississippi  rivers ;  thence  up  the  Crow  Wing  river  to  the 
junction  of  that  river  with  the  Long  Prairie  river ;  thence 
up  the  Long  Prairie  river  to  the  boundary  line  between  the 
Sioux  and  Chippeway  Indians ;  thence  southerly  along  said 
boundary  line  to  a  lake  at  the  head  of  Long  Prairie  river ; 
thence  in  a  direct  line  to  the  sources  of  the  Watab  river ; 
thence  down  the  Watab  to  the  Mississippi  river ;  thence  up 
the  Mississippi  to  the  place  of  beginning ;  and  also  all  the 
interest  and  claim  which  the  Indians,  parties  to  this  treaty, 
have  in  a  tract  of  land  lying  upon  and  north  of  Long 
Prairie  river,  and  called  '  One-day's  Hunt.' " 

For  this  cession,  the  United  States  paid  the  chiefs  of  the 
Lake  Superior  bands  $17,000,  and  the  same  to  the  Missis- 
sippi bands  of  Chippeways ;  and  agreed  to  pay  to  the  latter 
bands  $1,000  annually  for  forty-six  years. 

The  foregoing  tract  of  country  was  purchased  by  the 
United  States  with  the  view  of  locating  thereon  the  Winne- 
bagoes  and  Menominies,  but  these  tribes  disliking  the  tract, 
subsequently  exchanged  for  other  lands. 

The  most  of  the  Chippeways  of  Lake  Superior  being 
unwilling  to  remove  from  the  lands  which  they  had  ceded 
by  the  treaty  of  1842,  a  new  treaty  was  made  September  30, 
1854,  by  which  those  bands  ceded  to  the  United  States 
certain  additional  lands,  and  received  back  the  reservations 
at  the  places  of  their  residence,  with  other  provisions  as 
follows : 

"ARTICLE  I.  The  Chippeways  of  Lake  Superior  hereby 
cede  to  the  United  States  all  the  lands  heretofore  owned  by 


THE  OJIBWA  CONFEDERACY.  2Vl 

them  in  common  with  the  Chippeways  of  the  Mississippi, 
lying  east  of  the  following  boundary  line,  to  wit :  Begin- 
ning at  a  point  where  the  east  branch  of  Snake  river  crosses 
the  southern  boundary  line  of  the  Chippewa  country,  run- 
ning thence  up  the  said  branch  to  its  source ;  thence  nearly 
north,  in  a  straight  line,  to  the  mouth  of  East  Savannah 
river;  thence  up  the  St.  Louis  river  to  the  mouth  of  East 
Swan  river ;  thence  up  the  East  Swan  river  to  its  source ; 
thence  in  a  straight  line  to  the  most  westerly  bend  of  Ver- 
million  river ;  and  thence  down  the  Vermillion  river  to  its 
mouth. 

"  The  Chippeways  of  the  Mississippi  hereby  assent  and 
agree  to  the  foregoing  cession,  and  consent  that  the  whole 
amount  of  the  consideration  money  for  the  country  ceded 
above,  shall  be  paid  to  the  Chippeways  of  Lake  Superior ; 
and  in  consideration  thereof,  the  Chippeways  of  Lake 
Superior  hereby  relinquish  to  the  Chippeways  of  the  Mis- 
"sissippi,  all  their  interest  in  and  claim  to  the  lands  hereto- 
fore owned  by  them  in  common,  tying  west  of  the  above 
boundary  line. 

"ARTICLE  II.  The  United  States  agree  to  set  apart  and 
withhold  from  sale,  for  the  use  of  the  Chippeways  of  Lake 
Superior,  the  following  described  tracts  of  land :  namely, 

"  1st.  For  the  L'Anse  and  Vieux  De  Sert  bands,  all  the 
unsold  lands  in  the  following  townships  in  the  State  of 
Michigan :  Township  fifty-one  north,  range  thirty-three 
west ;  township  fifty -one,  north,  range  thirty-two  west ;  the 
east  half  of  township  fifty,  north,  range  thirty-three  west ; 
the  west  half  of  township  fifty,  north,  range  thirty-two 
west ;  and  all  of  township  fifty-one,  north,  range  thirty-one 
west,  lying  west  of  Huron  bay. 

"  2nd.  For  the  La  Point  band,  and  such  other  Indians  as 
may  see  fit  to  settle  with  them,  a  tract  of  land  bounded  as 
follows :  Beginning  on  the  south  shore  of  Lake  Superior, 
a  few  miles  west  of  Montreal  river,  at  the  mouth  of  a  creek 
called  by  the  Indians  Ke-che-se-be-we-she,  running  thence 


2  72  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

south  to  a  line  drawn  east  and  west  through  the  center  of 
township  forty-seven  north ;  thence  west  to  the  west  line  of 
said  township  ;  thence  south,  to  the  south-east  corner  of 
township  forty-six,  north,  range  thirty -two,  west;  thence 
west  the  width  of  two  townships ;  thence  north  the  width 
of  two  townships ;  thence  west  one  mile ;  thence  north  to 
the  lake  shore ;  thence  along  the  lake  shore,  crossing  Shag- 
waw-me-quon  point,  to  the  place  of  beginning.  Also,  two 
hundred  acres  on  the  northern  extremity  of  Madeline  island, 
for  a  fishing  ground. 

"  3rd.  For  the  other  Wisconsin  bands,  a  tract  of  land 
lying  about  Lac  De  Flambeau,  and  another  tract  on  Lac 
Court  Orielles,  each  equal  in  extent  to  three  townships,  the 
boundaries  of  which  shall  be  hereafter  agreed  upon,  or  fixed, 
under  the  direction  of  the  President. 

"4th.  For  the  Fond  Du  Lac  bands,  a  tract  of  land 
bounded  as  follows:  Beginning  at  an  island  in  the  St. 
Louis  river,  above  Knife  portage,  called  by  the  Indians* 
Paw-paw-sco-me-me-tig ;  running  thence  west  to  the  boun- 
dary line  heretofore  prescribed;  thence  north  along  said 
boundary  line  to  the  mouth  of  Savannah  river ;  thence  down 
the  St.  Louis  river  to  the  place  of  beginning.  And  if  the 
said  tract  shall  contain  less  than  one  hundred  thousand 
acres,  a  strip  of  land  shall  be  added  on  the  south  thereof, 
large  enough  to  equal  such  deficiency. 

"5th.  For  the  Grand  Portage  band,  a  tract  of  land 
bounded  as  follows :  Beginning  at  a  rock  a  little  east  of  the 
eastern  extremity  of  Grand  Portage  bay;  running  thence 
along  the  lake  shore  to  the  mouth  of  a  small  stream  called 
by  the  Indians  Maw-ske-gwaw-caw-maw-se-be,  or  Cranberry 
Marsh  river;  thenee  up  said  stream,  across  the  point  to 
Pigeon  river ;  thence  down  Pigeon  river  to  a  point  opposite 
the  starting-point ;  and  thence  across  to  the  place  of  begin- 
ning. 

"  6th.  The  Ontonagon  band,  and  that  subdivision  of  the 
La  Point  band  of  which  '  Buffalo '  is  chief,  may  each  select 


THE  OJIBWA  CONFEDERACY.  273 

on  or  near  the  lake  shore,  four  sections  of  land,  under  the 
direction  of  the  President,  the  boundaries  of  which  shall  be 
defined  hereafter.  And  being  desirous  to  provide  for  some 
of  his  connections  who  have  rendered  his  people  important 
services,  it  is  agreed  that  the  chief,  '  Buffalo,'  may  select  one 
section  of  land,  at  such  place  in  the  ceded  territory  as  he 
may  see  fit,  which  shall  be  reserved  for  that  purpose,  and 
conveyed  by  the  United  States  to  such  person  or  persons  as 
he  may  direct. 

"  7th.  Each  head  of  a  family,  or  single  person  over 
twenty-one  years  of  age  at  the  present  time,  of  the  mixed 
bloods,  belonging  to  the  Chippeways  of  Lake  Superior, 
shall  be  entitled  to  eighty  acres  of  land,  to  be  selected  by 
them,  under  the  direction  of  the  President,  and  which  shall 
be  secured  to  them  by  patent  in  the  usual  form." 

This  treaty  having  been  made  with  a  view  to  the  civiliza- 
tion of  the  Indians  on  the  foregoing  reservations,  the  United 
States  further  provided  for  defining  the  boundaries  of  said 
reservations,  and  for  surveying  and  distributing  to  each 
person  over  twenty-one  years  of  age,  eighty  acres  of  the 
land  in  severalty ;  and  that  missionaries,  teachers,  and  other 
persons  residing  with  the  Indians,  might  enter  their  lands 
to  the  extent  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  each. 

The  Bois  Forte  Indians  were  given  the  right  to  select 
their  reservations  in  proportion  to  their  numbers,  to  the 
same  extent  as  other  bands. 

Spirituous  liquors  were  prohibited  from  manufacture,  sale, 
or  use  on  the  reservations. 

The  United  States  paid  for  said  cession,  in  addition 
to  said  resei-vations,  annually  for  twenty  years,  $5,000  in 
coin,  $8,000  in  goods,  $3,000  in  agricultural  implements, 
cattle,  and  building  materials,  and  $3,000  for  moral  and 
educational  purposes.  Also  $90,000  to  pay  their  debts,  and 
$6,000  for  agricultural  implements,  household  furniture,  and 
cooking  utensils,  to  the  half-breeds ;  and  furnished  the 
Indians  200  guns,  100  rifles,  500  beaver  traps,  $300  worth 
18 


274  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

of  ammunition,  and  $1,000  "worth  of  ready-made  clothing, 
to  be  distributed  among  the  young  men  of  the  nation,  at  the 
next  annuity  payment." 

The  United  States  also,  in  lieu  of  previous  engagements 
of  the  kind,  agreed  to  furnish  a  blacksmith  and  assistant, 
with  the  usual  amount  of  stock,  during  the  continuance  of 
the  annuities,  for  each  of  said  reservations.  In  addition, 
the  United  States  agreed  to  pay  the  Bois  Forte  Indians 
$10,000  to  pay  their  debts,  and  $2,000  annually  for  five 
years,  in  goods. 

The  treaty  made  February  22nd,  1855,  at  Washington, 
between  the  United  States  and  the  Mississippi,  Pillager,  and 
Lake  Winnibigoshish  bands  of  Chippeways,  was  probably 
the  most  important  of  any,  touching  the  civilization  of  these 
bands,  and  we  therefore  copy  the  first  three  articles  in  full, 
as  follows : 

"ARTICLE  I.  The  Mississippi,  Pillager,  and  Lake  Winni- 
bigoshish bands  of  Chippeway  Indians  hereby  cede,  sell, 
and  convey  to  the  United  States  all  their  right,  title,  and 
interest  in,  and  to,  the  lands  now  owned  and  claimed  by 
them,  in  the  Territory  of  Minnesota,  and  included  within 
the  following  boundaries,  namely :  beginning  at  a  point 
where  the  east  branch  of  Snake  river  crosses  the  southern 
boundary  line  of  the  Chippeway  country,  east  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi river,  as  established  by  the  treaty  of  July  29th,  1837, 
running  thence,  up  the  said  branch,  to  its  source ;  thence, 
nearly  north  in  a  straight  line,  to  the  mouth  of  East  Savan- 
nah river ;  thence,  up  the  St.  Louis  river,  to  the  mouth  of 
East  Swan  river ;  thence,  up  said  river,  to  its  source  ;  thence, 
in  a  straight  line,  to  the  most  westwardly  bend  of  Vermil- 
lion  river ;  thence,  north-westwardly,  in  a  straight  line,  to 
the  first  and  most  considerable  bend  in  the  Big  Fork  river; 
thence,  down  said  river,  to  its  mouth ;  thence,  down  Rainy 
Lake  river,  to  the  mouth  of  Black  river;  thence,  up  that 
river,  to  its  source ;  thence,  in  a  straight  line,  to  the  northern 
extremity  of  Turtle  lake ;  thence,  in  a  straight  line,  to  the 


THE  OJIBWA  CONFEDERACY.  275 

mouth  of  Wild  Rice  river;  thence,  up  Red  river  of  the 
north,  to  the  mouth  of  Buifalo  river ;  thence,  in  a  straight 
line,  to  the  south-western  extremity  of  Otter  Tail  lake ; 
thence,  through  said  lake,  to  the  source  of  Leaf  river; 
thence,  down  said  river,  to  its  junction  with  Crow  Wing 
river ;  thence,  down  Crow  Wing  river,  to  its  junction  with 
the  Mississippi  river ;  thence,  to  the  commencement  on  said 
river  of  the  southern  boundary  line  of  the  Chippeway  coun- 
try, as  established  by  the  treaty  of  July  29th,  1837  ;  and 
thence,  along  said  line,  to  the  place  of  beginning.  And  the 
said  Indians  do  further  fully  and  entirely  relinquish  and 
convey  to  the  United  States,  any  and  all  right,  title,  and 
interest,  of  whatsoever  nature  the  same  may  be,  which  they 
may  now  have  in  and  to  any  other  lands  in  the  Territory 
of  Minnesota  or  elsewhere. 

"ARTICLE  II.  There  shall  be,  and  hereby  is,  reserved  and 
set  apart,  a  sufficient  quantity  of  land  for  the  permanent 
homes  of  the  said  Indians ;  the  lands  so  reserved  and  set 
apart  to  be  in  separate  tracts,  as  follows,  namely : 

"  For  the  Mississippi  bands  of  Chippeway  Indians :  The 
first  to  embrace  the  following  fractional  townships,  namely  : 
forty-two  north  of  range  twenty-five  west;  forty-two  north 
of  range  twenty-six  west;  and  forty-two  and  forty -three 
north  of  range  twenty-seven  west;  and,  also,  the  three 
islands  in  the  southern  part  of  Mille  Lac.  Second,  begin- 
ning at  a  point  half  a  mile  east  of  Rabbit  lake ;  thence, 
south  three  miles ;  thence,  westwai'dly  in  a  straight  line,  to 
a  point  three  miles  south  of  the  mouth  of  Rabbit  river; 
thence,  north  to  the  mouth  of  said  river ;  thence,  up  the 
Mississippi  river,  to  a  point  directly  north  of  the  place  of 
beginning ;  thence,  south  to  the  place  of  beginning.  Third, 
beginning  at  a  point  half  a  mile  south-west  from  the  most 
south-westwardly  point  of  Gull  lake ;  thence,  due  south  to 
Crow  Wing  river ;  thence,  down  said  river,  to  the  Missis- 
sippi river ;  thence,  up  said  river,  to  Long  Lake  portage ; 
thence,  in  a  straight  line,  to  the  head  of  Gull  lake ;  thence, 


276  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

in  a  south-westwardly  direction,  as  nearly  in  a  direct  line  as 
practicable,  but  at  no  point  thereof,  at  a  less  distance  than 
half  a  mile  from  said  lake,  to  the  place  of  beginning. 
Fourth,  the  boundaries  to  be,  as  nearly  as  practicable,  at 
right  angles,  and  so  as  to  embrace  within  them  Pokagomon 
lake ;  but  no  where  to  approach  nearer  said  lake  than  half  a 
mile  therefrom.  Fifth,  beginning  at  the  mouth  of  Sandy 
Lake  river ;  thence,  south  to  a  point  on  an  east  and  west 
line,  two  miles  south  of  the  most  southern  point  of  Sandy 
lake  ;  thence,  east  to  a  point  due  south  from  the  mouth  of 
Wes{  Savannah  river;  thence,  north  to  the  mouth  of  said 
river ;  thence,  north  to  a  point  on  an  east  and  west  line,  one 
mile  north  of  the  most  northern  point  of  Sandy  lake ;  thence, 
west  to  Little  Rice  river ;  thence,  down  said  river  to  Sandy 
Lake  river ;  and  thence,  down  said  river  to  the  place  of 
beginning.  Sixth,  to  include  all  the  islands  in  Rice  lake, 
and  also  half  a  section  of  land  on  said  lake,  to  include  the 
present  gardens  of  the  Indians.  Seventh,  one  section  of 
land  for  Pug-o-na-ke-shick,  or  '  Hole  in  the  Day,'  to  include 
his  house  and  farm ;  and  for  which  he  shall  receive  a  patent 
in  fee  simple. 

"  For  the  Pillager  and  Lake  Winnibigoshish  bands,  to  be 
in  three  tracts,  to  be  located  and  bounded  as  follows, 
namely :  first,  beginning  at  the  mouth  of  Little  Boy  river ; 
thence,  up  said  river  to  Lake  Hassler ;  thence,  through  the 
center  of  said  lake,  to  its  western  extremity ;  thence,  in  a 
direct  line,  to  the  most  southern  point  of  Leech  lake ;  and 
thence,  through  said  lake,  so  as  to  include  all  the  islands 
therein,  to  the  place  of  beginning.  Second,  beginning  at 
the  point  where  the  Mississippi  river  leaves  Lake  Winni- 
bigoshish; thence,  north  to  the  head  of  the  first  river; 
thence,  west  by  the  head  of  the  next  river,  to  the  head  of 
the  third  river,  emptying  into  said  lake;  thence,  down 
the  latter  to  said  lake;  and  thence,  in  a  direct  line  to 
the  place  of  beginning.  Third,  beginning  at  the  mouth  of 
Turtle  river ;  thence,  up  said  river  to  the  first  lake ;  thence, 


THE  OJIBWA  CONFEDERACY.  277 

east  four  miles ;  thence,  southwardly  in  a  line  parallel  with 
Turtle  river,  to  Cass  lake ;  and  thence,  so  as  to  include  all 
the  islands  in  said  lake,  to  the  place  of  beginning;  all  of 
which  said  tracts  shall  be  distinctly  designated  on  the  plats 
of  the  public  surveys.  And  at  such  time  or  times,  as  the 
President  may  deem  it  advisable  for  the  interests  and  wel- 
fare of  said  Indians,  or  any  of  them,  he  shall  cause  the  said 
reservations,  or  such  portion  or  portions  thereof,  as  may  be 
necessary,  to  be  surveyed ;  and  assign  to  each  head  of  a 
family,  or  single  person  over  twenty-one  years  of  age,  a 
reasonable  quantity  of  land,  in  one  body,  not  to  exceed 
eighty  acres  in  any  case,  for  his  or  their  separate  use ;  and 
he  may,  at  his  discretion,  as  the  occupants  thereof,  become 
capable  of  managing  their  business  and  aifairs,  issue  patents 
to  them  for  the  tracts  so  assigned  to  them  respectively ;  said 
tracts  to  be  exempt  from  taxation,  levy,  sale,  or  forfeiture ; 
and  not  to  be  aliened  or  leased  for  a  longer  period  than  two 
years,  at  one  time,  until  otherwise  provided  by  the  legisla- 
ture of  the  State  in  which  they  may  be  situate,  with  the 
assent  of  Congress.  They  shall  not  be  sold,  or  alienated,  in 
fee,  for  a  period  of  five  years  after  the  date  of  the  patents ; 
and  not  then  without  the  assent  of  the  President  of  the 
United  States  being  first  obtained.  Prior  to  the  issue  of  the 
patents,  the  President  shall  make  such  rules  and  regulations 
as  he  may  deem  necessary  and  expedient,  respecting  the 
disposition  of  any  of  said  tracts  in  case  of  the  death  of  the 
person  or  persons  to  whom  they  may  be  assigned,  so  that 
the  same  shall  be  secured  to  the  families  of  such  deceased 
persons  ;  and  should  any  of  the  Indians  to  whom  tracts  may 
be  assigned,  thereafter  abandon  them,  the  President  may 
make  such  rules  and  regulations,  in  relation  to  such  aban- 
doned tracts,  as  in  his  judgment  may  be  necessary  and 
proper. 

"ARTICLE  III.  In  consideration  of,  and  in  full  compensa- 
tion for,  the  cessions  made  by  the  said  Mississippi,  Pillager, 
and  Lake  Winnibigoshish  bands  of  Chippeway  Indians,  in 


278  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

the  first  article  of  this  agreement,  the  United  States  hereby 
agree  and  stipulate  to  pay,  expend,  and  make  provision  for, 
the  said  bands  of  Indians,  as  follows :  namely,  for  the  Mis- 
sissippi bands, 

"Ten  thousand  dollars  ($10,000)  in  goods,  and  other 
useful  articles,  as  soon  as  practicable  after  the  ratification 
of  this  instrument,  and  after  an  appropriation  shall  be  made 
by  Congress  therefor,  to  be  turned  over  to  the  delegates  and 
chiefs  for  distribution  among  their  people. 

"Fifty  thousand  dollars  ($50,000)  to  enable  them  to 
adjust  and  settle  their  present  engagements,  so  far  as  the 
same,  on  an  examination  thereof,  maybe  found  and  decided 
to  be  valid  and  just  by  the  chiefs,  subject  to  the  approval 
of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior;  and  any  balance  remaining 
of  said  sum,  not  required  for  the  above-mentioned  purpose, 
shall  be  paid  over  to  said  Indians  in  the  same  manner  as 
their  annuity  money,  and  in  such  installments  as  the  said 
Secretary  may  determine;  provided,  that  an  amount  not 
exceeding  ten  thousand  dollars  ($10,000)  of  the  above  sum 
shall  be  paid  to  such  full  and  mixed  bloods  as  the  chiefs 
may  direct,  for  services  rendered  heretofore  to  their  bands. 

"  Twenty  thousand  dollars  ($20,000)  per  annum,  in  money, 
for  twenty  years,  provided,  that  two  thousand  dollars 
($2,000)  per  annum  of  that  sum,  shall  be  paid  or  expended, 
as  the  chiefs  may  request,  for  purposes  of  utility  connected 
with  the  improvement  and  welfare  of  said  Indians,  subject 
to  the  approval  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior. 

"  Five  thousand  dollars  ($5,000)  for  the  construction  of  a 
road  from  the  mouth  of  Rum  river  to  Mille  Lac,  to  be 
expended  under  the  direction  of  the  Commissioner  of  Indian 
Affairs. 

"A  reasonable  quantity  of  land,  to  be  determined  by  the 
Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs,  to  be  ploughed  and  pre- 
pared for  cultivation  in  suitable  fields,  at  each  of  the 
reservations  of  the  said  bands,  not  exceeding,  in  the  aggre- 
gate, three  hundred  acres  for  all  the  reservations,  the 


THE  OJIBWA  CONFEDEKACY.  279 

Indians  to  make  the  rails  and  enclose  the  fields  themselves. 

"For  the  Pillager  and  Lake  Winnibigoshish  bands  : 

"Ten  thousand  dollars  ($10,000)  in  goods,  and  other 
useful  articles,  as  soon  as  practicable  after  the  ratification 
of  this  agreement,  and  an  appropriation  shall  be  made  by 
Congress  therefor ;  to  be  turned  over  to  the  chiefs  and  dele- 
gates for  distribution  among  their  people. 

"Forty  thousand  dollars  ($40,000),  to  enable  them  to 
adjust  and  settle  their  present  engagements,  so  far  as  the 
same,  on  an  examination  thereof,  may  be  found  and  decided 
to  be  valid  and  just  by  the  chiefs,  subject  to  the  approval 
of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior;  and  any  balance  remaining 
of  said  sum,  not  required  for  that  purpose,  shall  be  paid 
over  to  said  Indians,  in  the  same  manner  as  their  annuity 
money,  and  in  such  installments  as  the  said  Secretary  may 
determine;  provided  that  an  amount,  not  exceeding  ten 
thousand  dollars  ($10,000),  of  the  above  sum,  shall  be  paid 
to  such  mixed  bloods  as  the  chiefs  may  direct,  for  services 
heretofore  rendered  to  their  bands. 

"  Ten  thousand  six  hundred  and  sixty-six  dollars  and 
sixty-six  cents  ($10,666.66)  per  annum,  in  money,  for  thirty 
years. 

"  Eight  thousand  dollars  ($8,000)  per  annum,  for  thirty 
years,  in  such  goods  as  may  be  requested  by  the  chiefs,  and 
as  may  be  suitable  for  the  Indians,  according  to  their  con- 
dition and  circumstances. 

"  Four  thousand  dollars  ($4,000)  per  annum,  for  thirty 
years,  to  be  paid  or  expended,  as  the  chiefs  may  request, 
for  purposes  of  utility  connected  with  the  improvement  and 
welfare  of  said  Indians;  subject  to  the  approval  of  the 
Secretary  of  the  Interior.  Provided,  That  an  amount,  not 
exceeding  two  thousand  dollars  thereof,  shall,  for  a  limited 
number  of  years,  be  expended  under  the  direction  of  the 
Commissioner  of  Indian  Aifairs,  for  provisions,  seeds  and 
such  other  articles  or  things  as  maybe  useful  in  agricultural 
pursuits. 


280  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

"  Such  sura  as  can  be  usefully  and  beneficially  applied  by 
the  United  States,  annually,  for  twenty  years,  and  not  to 
exceed  three  thousand  dollars  in  any  one  year,  for  purposes 
of  education  ;  to  be  expended  under  the  direction  of  the 
Secretary  of  the  Interior. 

"Three  hundred  dollars'  ($300)  worth  of  powder,  per 
annum,  for  five  years. 

"  One  hundred  dollars'  ($100)  worth  of  shot  and  lead, 
per  annum,  for  five  years. 

"One  hundred  dollars'  ($100)  worth  of  gilling  twine,  per 
annum,  for  five  years. 

"One  hundred  dollars'  ($100)  worth  of  tobacco,  per 
annum,  for  five  years. 

"  Hire  of  three  laborers  at  Leech  Lake,  of  two  at  Lake 
"Winnibigoshish,  and  of  one  at  Cass  lake,  for  five  years. 

"  Expense  of  two  blacksmiths,  with  the  necessary  shop, 
iron,  steel  and  tools,  for  fifteen  years. 

"  Two  hundred  dollars  ($200)  in  grubbing  hoes  and  tools, 
the  present  year. 

"Fifteen  thousand  dollars  ($15,000)  for  opening  a  road 
from  Crow  Wing  to  Leech  Lake ;  to  be  expended  under  the 
direction  of  the  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs. 

"  To  have  ploughed  and  prepared  for  cultivation,  two 
hundred  acres  of  land,  in  ten  or  more  lots,  within  the  reser- 
vation at  Leech  lake ;  fifty  acres,  in  four  or  more  lots, 
Avithin  the  reservation  at  Lake  Winnibigoshish  ;  and  twenty- 
five  acres,  in  two  or  more  lots,  within  the  reservation  at 
Cass  lake:  Provided,  That  the  Indians  shall  make  the  rails 
sind  enclose. the  lots  themselves. 

"A  saw-mill,  with  a  portable  grist-mill  attached  thereto, 
to  be  established  whenever  the  same  shall  be  deemed  neces- 
sary and  advisable  by  the  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs, 
nt  such  point  as  he  shall  think  best ;  and  which,  together 
with  the  expense  of  a  proper  person  to  take  charge  of  and 
operate  them,  shall  be  continued  during  ten  years:  Pro- 


THE  OJIBWA  CONFEDERACY.  281 

vided,  That  the  cost  of  all  the  requisite  repairs  of  the  said 
mills  shall  be  paid  by  the  Indians,  out  of  their  own  funds." 

The  revolt  of  the  Sioux,  and  the  massacre  of  several 
hundred  whites  by  those  savages,  spread  through  the 
country  like  an  electric  shock.  "  Hole-in-the-day,"  the  head 
chief  of  the  Mississippi  Chippeways,  with  a  few  of  his 
warriors,  immediately  commenced  stealing  and  killing  the 
cattle  about  the  Indian  agency  and  Fort  Blpley.  Agent 
Walker  fled  to  the  fort,  and  directed  the  arrest  of  "  Hole-in- 
the-day,"  but  that  chief  retreated  across  the  river  with  his 
family,  when  pursued  by  troops,  and  then  fired  back  upon 
his  pursuers,  and  shots  were  exchanged.  Agent  Walker 
set  out  for  St.  Paul,  but  laboring  under  the  excitement  of 
the  occasion,  he  committed  suicide  on  the  way. 

Commissioner  Dole,  of  Washington,  then  at  St.  Paul,  on 
his  way  to  Red  river,  obtained  two  companies  of  volunteers 
from  Governor  Ramsey,  and  immediately  set  out  for  Fort 
Ripley.  He  reached  that  point,  and  held  several  councils 
with  "  Hole-in-the-day"  and  other  chiefs  of  the  bands,  but  with 
no  definite  result.  Mr.  Dole,  in  the  mean  time,  persuaded 
the  Mille  Lac  and  some  other  bands  to  abandon  "  Hole-in-the- 
day,"  and  thereby  diminished  that  chief's  strength  one  half. 
He  then  left  for  St.  Paul.  The  Indians  held  a  council,  and 
although  many  chiefs  were  for  peace,  they  came  to  no 
decision.  Those  favorable  to  peace  went  to  the  fort,  sur- 
rendered the  stolen  property,  received  rations,  and  left  for 
home.  "  Hole-in-the-day,"  having  thus  lost  more  than  half 
of  his  warriors,  soon  a'fter  followed  their  example,  restored 
his  plunder,  and  delivered  his  war-club  as  a  token  of  peace. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  legislature  of  Minnesota  appointed 
commissioners  to  visit  "  Hole-in-the-day"  and  make  a  treaty. 
Judge  Cooper,  the  attorney  of  the  chief,  was  placed  at  the 
head  of  the  commission.  They  concluded  a  treaty,  but 
government  refused  to  ratify  it,  and  the  treaty  of  1863  was 
the  consequence.  The  depredations  of  this  outbreak  were 
not  extensive,  and  were  settled  under  the  treaty  last  named. 
18* 


282  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

"  Hole-in-the-day,"  with  some  forty  of  his  principal  chiefs 
and  warriors,  visited  St.  Paul  soon  after,  and  offered  the 
whole  force  of  his  tribe  to  General  Pope,  to  go  against  the 
Sioux,  but  their  services  were  refused.  Had  they  been 
accepted,  they  would  have  made  valuable  scouts  against 
their  old  enemy,  and  might  have  been  the  means  of  having 
given  success  to  the  first  expedition  of  General  Sibley.  It 
was  arming  tribe  against  tribe  that  gave  the  first  success  to 
the  English  arms  in  the  Pontiac  conspiracy ;  and  the  ani- 
mosity of  two  hundred  years  might  well  have  spent  itself 
against  the  merciless  Sioux. 

By  the  treaty  of  March  llth,  1863,  with  the  Chippeways 
of  the  Mississippi  and  the  Pillager  and  Lake  Winnibigoshish 
bands  of  Chippeways,  they  relinquish  their  reservations  at 
Gull  lake,  Mille  Lac,  Sandy  lake,  Rabbit  lake,  Pokagomin 
lake,  and  Rice  lake,  and  agree  to  accept,  "  for  the  future 
homes  of  the  Chippeways  of  the  Mississippi,  all  the  lands 
embraced  within  the  following  described  boundaries,  except 
the  reservations  made  and  described  in  the  third  clause  of 
the  second  article  of  the  said  treaty  of  February  22nd,  1855, 
for  the  Pillager  and  Lake  Winnibigoshish  bands ;  that  is  to 
say,  beginning  at  a  point  one  mile  south  of  the  most  south- 
erly point  of  Leech  lake,  and  running  thence  in  an  easterly 
course  to  a  point  one  mile  south  of  the  most  southerly  point 
of  Goose  lake ;  thence  due  east  to  a  point  due  south  from 
the  intersection  of  the  Pokagomin  reservation  and  the  Mis- 
sissippi river ;  thence  on  the  dividing  line  between  '  Deer 
River  lakes'  and  Mashkorden's  river  and  lakes  until  a  point 
is  reached  north  of  the  first  named  river  and  lakes ;  thence 
in  a  direct  line  north-westerly  to  the  outlet  of  '  Two  Routes 
lake;'  thence  in  a  south-westerly  direction  to  the  north- 
west corner  of  the  Cass  Lake  reservation ;  thence  in  a  south- 
westerly direction  to  Karbekaun  river ;  thence  down  said 
river  to  the  lake  of  the  same  name ;  thence  due  south  to  a 
point  due  west  from  the  beginning;  thence  to  the  place  of 
beginning." 


THE  OJIBWA  CONFEDERACY.  288 

By  article  third  it  is  further  provided :  "  In  considera- 
tion of  the  foregoing  cession  to  the  United  States,  and  the 
valuable  improvements  thereon,  the  United  States  further 
agree : 

"  1st.  To  extend  the  present  annuities  of  the  Indians, 
parties  to  this  treaty,  for  ten  years  beyond  the  periods  respec- 
tively named  in  existing  treaties. 

"  2nd.  And  to  pay  towards  the  settlement  of  the  claims 
for  depredations  committed  by  said  Indians  in  1862,  the 
sum  of  $30,000. 

"  3rd.  To  enable  said  Indians  to  pay  their  present  just 
engagements,  the  sum  of  $30,000,  as  the  chiefs  in  council 
may  direct. 

"  4th.  To  the  chiefs  of  the  Chippeways  of  the  Mississippi, 
$16,000,  (provided  they  shall  pay  to  the  chiefs  of  the 
Pillager  and  Lake  Winnibigoshish  bands,  $1,000,)  to  be  paid 
upon  the  signing  of  this  treaty,  out  of  the  arrearages  due 
under  the  ninth  article  of  the  treaty  concluded  at  La  Point, 
in  the  State  of  Wisconsin,  on  the  30th  of  September,  1854. 

"  5th.  And  to  pay  the  expenses  incurred  by  the  legislature 
of  the  State  of  Minnesota,  in  the  month  of  September,  1862, 
in  sending  commissioners  to  visit  the  Chippeway  Indians, 
amounting  to  $1,338.75." 

By  the  fourth  article  of  the  same  treaty,  "  the  United  States 
further  agree  to  clear,  stump,  grub,  and  break  in  the  reser- 
vation hereby  set  apart  for  the  Chippeways  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, in  lots  of  not  less  than  ten  acres  each,  at  such  point 
or  points  as  the  chiefs  of  each  band  may  select,  as  follows, 
viz. :  For  the  Gull  Lake  band,  seventy  acres ;  for  the  Mille 
Lac  band,  seventy  acres ;  for  the  Sandy  Lake  band,  fifty 
acres ;  for  the  Pokagomin  band,  fifty  acres ;  for  the  Rabbit 
Lake  band,  forty  acres ;  for  the  Rice  Lake  band,  twenty 
acres ;  and  to  build  for  the  chiefs  of  said  bands  one  house 
each,  of  the  following  descriptions :  to  be  constructed  of 
hewn  logs ;  to  be  sixteen  by  twenty  feet  each,  and  two 
stories  high ;  to  be  roofed  with  good  shaved  pine  shingles ; 


284  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

tlie  floors  to  be  of  seasoned  pine  plank,  jointed;  stone  or 
brick  fire-places  and  chimneys;  three  windows  in  lower 
story,  and  two  in  the  upper  story,  with  good,  substantial 
shutters  to  each,  and  suitable  doors ;  said  houses  to  be 
pointed  with  lime  mortar." 

By  article  fifth  it  is  further  provided,  that  "  the  United 
States  agree  to  furnish  to  said  Indians,  parties  to  this 
treaty,  ten  yokes  of  good,  steady,  work  oxen,  and  twenty  log 
chains,  annually,  for  ten  years,  provided  the  Indians  shall 
take  proper  care  of,  and  make  proper  use  of  the  same ;  also, 
for  the  same  period,  annually,  two  hundred  grubbing  hoes, 
ten  ploughs,  ten  grind  stones,  one  hundred  axes,  handled, 
not  to  exceed  in  weight  three  and  one  half  pounds  each ; 
twenty  spades.  Also,  two  carpenters,  and  two  blacksmiths, 
and  four  farm  laborers,  and  one  physician." 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing,  there  were  several  other 
provisions  tending  to  promote  agriculture  and  education, 
and  otherwise  to  aid  the  Indians  in  the  advancement  of 
civilization. 

The  Red  Lake  and  Pembina  bands  of  Chippeways  not 
having  joined  in  the  foregoing  treaty,  a  treaty  was  made 
with  them,  October  2nd,  1863,  by  which  those  bands  ceded 
to  the  United  States  ah1  their  rights  to  the  territory  within 
the  following  boundaries :  "  Beginning  at  the  point  where 
the  international  boundary  between  the  United  States  and 
the  British  possessions  intersects  the  shore  of  the  Lake  of 
the  Woods ;  thence  in  a  direct  line  south- westwardly  to  the 
head  of  Thief  river  ;  thence  down  the  main  channel  of  said 
Thief  river  to  its  mouth  on  the  Red  Lake  river ;  thence  in 
a  south-easterly  direction,  in  a  direct  line  towards  the  head 
of  Wild  Rice  river,  to  the  point  where  such  line  would 
intersect  the  north-western  boundary  of  a  tract  ceded  to  the 
United  States  by  a  treaty  concluded  at  Washington  on  the 
22nd  day  of  February,  in  the  year  1855,  with  the  Missis- 
sippi, Pillager  and  Lake  Winnibigoshish  band  of  Chippe- 
way  Indians ;  thence  along  the  said  boundary  line  of  said 


THE  OJIBWA  CONFEDERACY.  285 

cession  to  the  mouth  of  Wild  Rice  river ;  thence  up  the 
main  channel  of  the  Red  river  to  the  mouth  of  the  Shayenne ; 
thence  up  the  main  channel  of  the  Shayenne  river  to  Poplar 
Grove;  thence  in  a  direct  line  to  the  'Place  of  Stumps,' 
otherwise  called  Lake  Chicot ;  thence  in  a  direct  line  to  the; 
head  of  the  main  branch  of  Salt  river;  thence  in  a  direct 
line  due  north  to  the  point  where  such  line  would  intersect 
the  international  boundary  aforesaid;  thence  eastwardly 
along  said  boundary  to  the  place  of  beginning." 

As  the  price  of  the  said  purchase,  the  United  States 
agreed  to  pay  $20,000  per  annum  for  twenty  years,  and 
$100,000,  out  of  which  the  Indians  were  to  pay  their  debts, 
together  for  damages  for  depredations  committed  on  tho 
whites. 

This  treaty  was  amended  by  the  Senate,  by  striking  out 
the  annuity,  and  providing  that  "  the  United  States  will 
pay  annually,  during  the  pleasure  of  the  President  of  the 
United  States,  to  the  Red  Lake  band  of  Chippeways,  the 
sum  of  $10,000,  and  to  the  Pembina  band  $5,000."  Also, 
expend  annually,  for  fifteen  years,  for  the  Red  Lake  band,  in 
goods,  $8,000,  and  same  for  the  Pembina  band,  $4,000  ;  and 
furnish  said  bands,  for  a  like  period,  one  blacksmith,  one 
physician,  one  miller,  one  farmer,  and  pay  them  annually, 
for  the  like  period,  $1,500  worth  of  iron,  steel,  and  other 
articles  for  blacksmithing  purposes,  and  $1,000  for  carpen- 
tering and  other  purposes ;  also,  "  one  saw-mill,  with  a  run 
of  mill-stones  attached." 

A  new  treaty  was  made  with  the  Chippeways  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi, May  7th,  1864,  by  which  the  Pz-esident  was  to  select 
locations  for  the  different  bands  on  their  reservation,  on  the 
extreme  upper  Mississippi.  With  this  point  in  view,  agent 
Clark  visited  the  upper  country  in  the  summer  of  1865, 
and  on  his  return  recommended  to  the  Indian  department 
"  to  contract  for  the  clearing,  stumping,  grubbing,  breaking, 
and  planting,  except  planting  in  lots  of  not  less  than  ten 
acres,  provided  the  cost  shall  not  exceed  twenty-five  dollars 


286  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

per  acre,  as  follows :  For  the  Gull  Lake  band,  twenty  acres 
at  Leech  lake ;  for  the  Rice  Lake  band,  twenty  acres  at 
Long  lake;  for  the  Pokegama  band,  fifty  acres  at  Oak 
Point ;  for  the  Rabbit  band,  forty  acres  at  Lake  Winnipeg ; 
for  the  Sandy  band,  twenty-five  acres  at  Lake  Winnipeg ; 
for  the  Sandy  band,  twenty-five  acres  at  Oak  Point."  The 
agent  also  recommended  that  the  new  agency  buildings  be 
located  at  Leech  lake,  to  consist  of  "  one  dwelling  for  the 
agent,  one  for  the  physician,  two  for  carpenters,  two  for  the 
blacksmiths,  two  for  the  farmers,  one  for  the  interpreter, 
one  for  the  engineer;  one  school-house,  two  warehouses, 
one  blacksmith's  shop,  one  carpenter's  shop,  and  two  stables ; 
ah1  of  which  buildings,  except  shops  and  stables,  to  be 
inclosed  on  three  sides  with  good,  substantial  stockades : 
provided  the  entire  cost  of  buildings  and  stockade  shall  not 
exceed  $25,000,  as  per  fourth  article,  treaty  7th  May,  1864." 

The  discovery  of  gold  in  1865, near  the  Indian  reservation 
at  Lake  Vermillion,  and  the  advent  of  the  gold-seekers 
upon  Indian  territory,  forced  the  United  States  and  the  Bois 
Forte  band  of  the  Chippeways  to  make  another  treaty,  and 
the  following  were  the  first  articles  of  the  treaty  concluded 
at  Washington,  D.  C.,  in  April,  1866,  which  was  soon  after 
ratified  by  the  Senate,  and  published  by  the  President : 

"  ARTICLE  I.  The  peace  and  friendship  now  existing 
between  the  United  States  and  said  Bois  Forte  bands  of 
Indians  shall  be  perpetual. 

"  ARTICLE  II.  In  consideration  of  the  agreements,  stipu- 
lations, and  undertakings  to  be  performed  by  the  United 
States,  and  hereinafter  expressed,  the  Bois  Forte  bauds  of 
Chippeways  have  agreed  to,  and  do  hereby,  cede  and  for 
ever  relinquish  and  surrender  to  the  United  States,  all  their 
right,  title,  claim  and  interest  in  and  to  all  lands  and  terri- 
tory heretofore  claimed,  held,  or  possessed  by  them,  and 
lying  east  of  the  boundary  line  mentioned  and  established 
in  and  by  the  first  article  of  the  treaty  made  and  concluded 
by  and  between  the  United  States  of  the  one  part,  and  the 


THE  OJIBWA  CONFEDERACY.  287 

Chippeways  of  Lake  Superior  and  the  Mississippi  of  the 
other  part,  on  the  30th  day  of  September,  A.  D.  ]  854,  and 
more  especially  in  and  to  all  that  portion  of  said  territory 
heretofore  claimed  and  occupied  by  them  at  and  near  Lake 
Vermillion  as  a  reservation.  The  Bois  Forte  band  of  Chip- 
peways in  like  manner  cede  and  relinquish  for  ever  to  the 
United  States  all  their  claim,  right,  title,  and  interest  in  and 
to  all  lands  and  territory  lying  westwardly  of  said  boundary 
line,  or  elsewhere  within  the  limits  of  the  United  States. 

"  ARTICLE  III.  In  consideration  of  the  foregoing  cession 
and  relinquishment,  the  United  States  agree  to  and  will 
perform  the  stipulations,  undertakings,  and  agreements  fol- 
lowing, that  is  to  say : 

"  1st.  There  shall  be  set  apart  within  one  year  after  the 
date  of  the  ratification  of  this  treaty,  under  the  direction  of 
the  President  of  the  United  States,  within  the  Chippeway 
country,  for  the  perpetual  use  and  occupancy  of  said  Bois 
Forte  band  of  Chippeways,  a  tract  of  land  of  not  less  than 
100,000  acres,  the  said  location  to  include  a  lake  known  by 
the  name  of  Netor  As-sab-a-co-na,  if,  upon  examination  of 
the  country  by  the  agent  sent  by  the  President  of  the 
United  States  to  select  the  said  reservation,  it  is  found 
practicable  to  include  the  said  lake  therein,  and  also  one 
township  of  land  on  the  Grand  Fork  river,  at  the  mouth  of 
Deer  creek,  if  such  location  shall  be  found  practicable. 

"  2nd.  The  United  States  will,  as  soon  as  practicable 
after  the  setting  apart  of  the  tract  of  country  first  above 
mentioned,  erect  thereon,  without  expense  to  said  Indians, 
one  .blacksmith's  shop,  to  cost  not  exceeding  five  hundred 
dollars ;  one  school-house,  to  cost  not  exceeding  five  hundred 
dollars;  and  eight  houses  for  their  chiefs,  to  cost  not 
exceeding  four  hundred  dollars  each  ;  and  a  building  for  an 
agency-house,  and  store-house  for  the  storage  of  goods  and 
provisions,  to  cost  not  exceeding  $2,000. 

"  3d.  The  United  States  will  expend  annually,  for  and 
in  behalf  of  said  Bois  Forte  band  of  Chippeways,  for  and 


288  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

during  the  term  of  twenty  years  from  and  after  the  ratifica- 
tion of  this  treaty,  the  several  sums  and  for  the  purposes 
following,  to  wit :  For  the  support  of  one  blacksmith  and 
assistant,  and  for  tools,  iron  and  steel,  and  other  articles 
necessary  for  the  blacksmith's  shop,  $1,500;  for  one  school 
teacher,  and  the  necessary  books  and  stationery  for  the 
school,  $800,  the  chiefs  in  council  to  have  the  privilege  of 
selecting,  with  the  approval  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior, 
the  religious  denomination  to  which  the  said  teacher  shall 
belong ;  for  instructions  of  the  said  Indians  in  farming,  and 
the  purchase  of  seed,  tools,  etc.,  for  that  purpose,  $800 ; 
and  for  annuity  payments,  the  sum  of  $11,000,  —  $3,500  of 
which  shall  be  paid  to  them  in  money  per  capita,  $1,000  in 
provisions,  ammunition,  and  tobacco,  and  $6,500  to  be  dis- 
tributed to  them  in  goods  and  other  articles  suited  to  their 
wants  and  conditions. 

"  ARTICLE  IV.  To  enable  the  chiefs,  head  men,  and 
warriors  now  present  to  establish  their  people  upon  the  new 
reservation,  and  to  purchase  useful  articles  and  presents  for 
their  people,  the  United  States  agree  to  pay  to  them,  upon 
the  ratification  of  this  treaty,  the  sum  of  $50,000,  to  be 
expended  under  the  direction  of  the  Secretary  of  the 
Interior." 

From  the  examination  of  the  several  treaties  between  the 
United  States  and  the  Chippeways,  it  will  be  observed  that 
a  special  effort  has  been  made  by  the  government,  for  the 
civilization  of  this  tribe  or  nation  of  Indians.  Several  dif- 
ferent denominations  of  Christians,  the  principal  of  which 
are  the  Methodist,  Congregationalist,  Episcopalian,  and 
Catholic,  have  from  time  to  time  seconded  the  efforts  of 
government,  and  attempted  the  introduction  of  Christianity, 
but  their  united  efforts  have  produced  no  adequate  results. 
Indeed,  Mr.  Bonga,  the  Indian  interpreter  to  the  Mississippi 
bands,  and  a  half-breed,  declared,  in  his  report  in  1865,  that 
"  it  is  now  full  thirty  years  since  the  government  and  mis- 
sionaries have  been  trying  in  every  way  to  get  these  Indians 


THE  OJIBWA  CONFEDERACY.  289 

to  adopt  in  some  way  the  habits  of  the  white  man,  but  all 
their  efforts  have  been  to  no  purpose."  Agent  Webb,  of  the 
Lake  Superior  bands,  in  his  annual  report  dated  November 
8th,  1865,  represented  that  those  bands  "  seem  to  have  been 
almost  constantly  engaged  in  grand  medicine  dances,  jug- 
glery, and  conjuring.  I  am  unable  to  report  any  progress 
or  interest  manifested  in  the  schools.  The  Protestant 
mission,  under  the  control  of  the  American  Board  of  Com- 
missioners of  Foreign  Missions,  has  been  sustained  among 
these  Indians  for  over  twenty  years.  The  Board  have 
decided  to  abandon  it,  for  want  of  sufficient  encouragement 
to  continue  their  labors." 

The  physician  to  the  Mississippi  bands  has  added  much 
to  the'se  discouraging  reports,  by  his  statement  that  the 
venereal  disease,  contracted  by  the  natives  in  their  inter- 
course with  the  vicious  whites,  almost  threatens  the  exter- 
mination of  those  bands. 

The  efforts  of  government,  and  of  the  missionaries,  to 
exclude  spirituous  liquors  from  these  Indians,  have  been 
constantly  thwarted  by  the  whisky-selling  traders,  who 
thread  the  native  forests  of  these  bands  from  every  point 
of  the  compass ;  and  the  failure  in  their  agricultural  enter- 
prises is  answered  quite  as  readily,  by  stating  the  fact  that 
their  frosty,  timbered  country,  mainly  situated  between  47° 
and  49°  north  latitude,  is  almost  totally  unfit  for  agricul- 
ture. If  it  is  true  that  these  Indians  are  the  "  wards  of 
government,"  will  not  posterity  demand  why  they  were 
taught  agriculture  in  a  non-agricultural  region,  and  in- 
structed in  Christianity  while  they  were  surrounded  by  the 
most  vicious  of  the  white  race,  constantly  tempting  their 
savage  appetites  with  liquid  poison,  which  has  proved  quite 
as  fatal  to  Indian  chastity  as  to  Indian  industry  ? 

By  the  report  of  the  Indian  agent  of  the  Mississippi  bands 

in  September,  1866,  it  appears  that  the  agency  buildings 

were  being  constructed  on  the  south  side  of  Leech  lake,  but 

that  the  Indians  had  not  then  removed  to  their  new  reser- 

19 


290  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

vations.  The  agent  had  also  caused  five  whisky-traders  to 
be  arrested  and  sent  to  St.  Paul,  to  be  indicted  by  the  United 
States  District  Court,  which  was  accordingly  done,  adding 
thereto  several  of  their  runners  about  Crow  Wing.  The 
agent  also  complains  that  whisky  is  sold  to  some  extent  by 
travelers. 

The  agent's  report  from  Lake  Superior,  shows  that  one 
hundred  and  fifty-eight  Catholic  Indians  of  Bad  river  reser- 
vation, had  petitioned  for  leave  to  build  a  church  at  that 
point,  and  that  he  had  granted  the  petition,  notwithstanding 
the  remonstrance  of -a  Protestant  missionary  at  the  same 
place.  He  represents  the  Catholic  Indians  to  be  on  the 
increase  among  the  Chippeways  of  Lake  Superior,  and  that 
Catholic  missionaries  were  producing  "  very  salutary  results 
among  these  Indians  in  many  different  ways,  especially  in 
restraining  the  use  of  ardent  spirits." 

When  government  places  the  Chippeways  on  permanent 
reservations,  and  protects  them  from  vicious  whites,  we 
may  hope  for  their  regeneration. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


THE    SACS,    FOXES,   AND    POTOWATOMIES,    AND    A    TABLE     OF 
ALL   THE    TRIBES,    IN   1866. 

The  Sacs  and  Musquakies,  or  people  of  the  "  Red  Land," 
first  became  known  to  the  whites  as  inhabitants  of  northern 
Michigan,  about  the  Saginaw  bay.  Black  Hawk  claimed 
that  the  Sacs  anciently  lived  near  Quebec,  but  in  the  early 
wars  of  the  Iroquois  had  been  driven  west  to  Mackinaw, 
and  from  thence  to  Wisconsin,  from  which  place  they  had 
emigrated  to  Rock  Island,  where  he  was  born.  The  Mus- 
quakies were  called  Outagamies,  or  Foxes,  by  the  Algonquin 
tribes,  from  their  totem,  "  a  fox."  From  the  fact  that  the 
two  tribes  had  the  same  customs,  spoke  the  same  Algonquin 
dialect,  have  always  lived  together  since  they  have  been 
known  to  the  whites,  and  are  now  merged  into  one  tribe, 
we  readily  come  to  the  conclusion  that  they  were  originally 
two  bands  of  the  same  tribe  near  Quebec,  and  in  the  early 
Iroquois  war  fled  to  Michigan  ;  from  there  were  swept  off 
by  the  Iroquois  raids  against  the  Hurons  in  1649,  and  with 
the  Hurons  took  shelter  at  Mackinaw  ;  and  that  about  1652 
were  again  defeated,  and  fled  to  the  Fox  river  in  Wisconsin. 

In  previous  chapters  we  have  traced  their  wars  with  the 
Sioux  to  1702,  then  with  the  Chippeways  and  French  to 
1754,  when  the  French  effected  a  peace  between  them,  the 
Chippeways  and  Christinaux,  and  themselves,  after  which 
they  were  allies  of  the  French  until  the  fall  of  Canada'  in 
1760.  From  1702  to  1754,  the  French  exhausted  every  art 


292  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

of  both  war  and  diplomacy,  to  break  up  their  alliance  with 
the  Sioux,  and  make  them  take  up  the  tomahawk  against 
the  English,  but  without  effect.  Hence  the  French  called 
them  all  kinds  of  hard  names,  and  repeatedly  had  them  all 
exterminated  and  driven  out  of  Wisconsin.  After  the  fall 
of  Canada,  these  tribes  united  again  with  the  Sioux,  Kick- 
apoos,  and  Winnebagoes,  and  soon  nearly  exterminated  the 
Illinois.  They  were  also  joined  by  the  Ottawas  after  the 
assassination  of  Pontiac,  who  revenged  the  assassination  on 
the  Peorias.  After  this  war,  they  joined  the  British  against 
the  colonies  in  our  revolution,  and  after  the  close  of  that 
war,  they  crossed  the  Mississippi,  and  drove  the  lowas, 
Missourias,  and  Mandans,  out  of  the  greater  part  of  the 
present  State  of  Iowa. 

About  in  this  position  Governor  Harrison  found  them 
when  he  took  possession  of  the  west  side  of  the  upper 
Mississippi,  after  its  purchase  from  France.  At  this  time 
our  government  adopted  the  policy  of  extinguishing  the 
Indian  title  to  all  lands  east  of  the  Mississippi,  and  locating 
the  Indians  on  the  west  side.  This  policy  soon  alarmed  the 
Shawnees  and  Miamies,  as  well  as  the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  and 
led  to  the  Tecumseh  Confederacy,  which  was  only  broken 
up  by  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe,  in  November,  1811. 

Among  the  first  treaties  negotiated  by  Governor  Harrison, 
to  carry  into  effect  the  removal  of  the  Indians  west  of  the 
Mississippi,  was  that  of  November  3,  1804,  at  St.  Louis, 
with  the  Sacs  and  Foxes. 

This  treaty  ceded  to  the  United  States  the  following 
territory :  "  Beginning  at  a  point  on  the  Missouri  river 
opposite  to  the  mouth  of  the  Gasconade  river ;  thence,  in  a 
direct  couree,  so  as  to  strike  the  river  Jefferson  at  the  dis- 
tance of  thirty  miles  from  its  mouth,  and  down  the  said 
Jefferson  to  the  Mississippi ;  thence,  up  the  Mississippi  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Ouisconsing  river,  and  up  the  same  to  a  point 
wnich  shall  be  thirty-six  miles  in  a  direct  line  from  the 
mouth  of  said  river ;  thence,  by  a  direct  line,  to  the  point 


THE  SACS,  FOXES,  AND  POTOWATOMIES.  293 

where  the  Fox  river  (a  branch  of  the  Illinois)  leaves  the 
small  lake  called  Sakuegan ;  thence,  down  the  Fox  river  to 
the  Illinois  river,  and  down  the  same  to  the  Mississippi." 

For  this  large  tract  of  land,  covering  large  parts  of 
Wisconsin,  Illinois  and  Missouri,  the  government  engaged 
to  give  $2,234.50  in  goods,  and  an  annuity  of  f  1,000  per 
year  forever  in  goods,  at  costs  at  the  place  where  pur- 
chased. 

This  was  a  small  price  in  proportion  to  what  was  after- 
wards paid  for  Indian  lands,  but  as  the  title  to  a  portion  of 
the  territory  was  subsequently  disputed,  it  may  not  have 
been  a  very  unreasonable  price  at  the  time. 

But,  however,  it  gave  great  dissatisfaction  to  the  tribes, 
and  Black  Hawk  charged,  in  subsequent  years,  that  the 
chiefs  were  not  authorized  to  sell  the  land ;  besides  that, 
they  were  made  drunk,  and  did  not  know  that  they  had 
made  any  such  treaty.  During  the  war  of  1812,  Black 
Hawk,  with  his  belligerent  warriors,  went  to  Detroit,  and 
the  balance  of  the  tribe  of  Sacs  put  themselves  under  the 
protection  of  the  United  States,  and  settled  on  the  Missouri 
river,  and  at  the  close  of  the  war  signed  a  treaty  of  peace, 
as  did  the  Foxes  also,  both  confirming  the  treaty  of  1804. 
Black  Hawk,  being  threatened  with  an  armed  force,  finally 
concluded  to  go  down  to  St.  Louis,  and  the  13th  of  May, 
1816,  signed  a  treaty  of  peace,  ratifying  the  treaty  of  1804  ; 
and  further  engaged  to  "  deliver  up  all  the  property  they  had 
stolen  or  plundered  from  the  United  States  since  they  were 
notified  of  the  treaty  of  peace  with  Great  Britain."  To  this 
treaty  Black  Hawk  acknowledged  that  he  "  touched  the 
quill,"  but  denied  that  he  understood  that  by  it  he  surren- 
dered his  village  on  Rock  river. 

By  another  treaty  of  the  3rd  September,  1&22,  the  Sacs 
and  Foxes  relinquished  their  right  to  have  the  United 
States  establish  a  "trading  house,  or  factory,"  at  a  con- 
venient point  at  which  the  Indians  could  trade,  and  save 


UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

themselves  from  the  imposition  of  traders,  for  which  the 
United  States  paid  $1,000  in  merchandise. 

By  another  treaty  of  the  4th  August,  1824,  the  Sacs  and 
Foxes  sold  the  United  States  all  their  lands  in  the  State  of 
Missouri,  north  of  the  Missouri  river,  for  which  they  received 
$1,000  the  same  year,  and  an  annuity  of  $1,000  per  year  for 
ten  years ;  to  a  half-breed,  $500,  for  his  losses  during  the 
late  TV  ar ;  and  the  United  States  agreed  to  furnish  a  black- 
smith during  the  pleasure  of  the  President  of  the  United 
States,  and  some  other  gratuities,  as  the  President  "  may 
deem  expedient." 

By  a  treaty  held  with  the  various  Indian  tribes  of  the 
upper  Mississippi,  by  the  United  States,  August  19th,  1825, 
at  Prairie  Du  Chien,  to  settle  the  old  Sioux  and  Chippeway 
war,  and  a  war  lately  commenced  between  the  Sacs,  Foxes, 
and  lowas,  against  the  Sioux,  and  establish  peace,  by 
agreeing  on  the  boundary  lines  between  the  different  tribes, 
our  government  found  that  the  various  tribes  had  many 
conflicting  claims ;  but  between  the  Sioux,  and  Sacs,  and 
Foxes,  they  agreed  to  a  line  "  commencing  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Upper  Iowa  river,  and  ascending  said  river  to  its  left 
fork ;  thence  up  that  fork  to  its  source  ;  thence  crossing  the 
fork  of  Red  Cedar  river,  in  a  direct  line  to  the  second  or 
upper  fork  of  the  Des  Moines ;  and  thence  in  a  direct  line 
to  the  lower  fork  of  the  Calumet  river,  and  down  that  river 
to  its  junction  with  the  Missouri ;"  but  from  the  Des  Moines 
to  the  Missouri  the  line  was  held  subject  to  the  claims  of 
the  Yankton  band  of  Sioux,  and  the  lowas  and  Ottoes. 

By  another  treaty  with  the  Sacs,  Foxes,  and  Indians 
west,  made  July  15th,  1830,  a  large  tract  of  country  in  the 
south-western  part  of  the  State  of  Iowa,  extending  west 
from  the  Des  Moines  river  to  the  Missouri,  was  set  apart, 
and  the  President  was  authorized  to  locate  thereon  the 
tribes  which  then  inhabited  it,  as  well  as  other  tribes.  The 
Sacs  and  Foxes  in  this  treaty  ceded  to  the  United  States  a 
strip  of  land  twenty  miles  wide,  from  the  Mississippi  to  the 


THE  SACS,  FOXES,  AND  POTOWATOMIES.  295 

Des  Moines,  on  the  north  side  of  their  territory,  and  on  the 
south  side  of  the  line  agreed  upon  between  them  and  the 
Sioux  in  the  treaty  of  1825,  and  the  Medawah-kanton, 
Wah-pay-koota,  Wahpeton  and  Sisseton  bands  of  the  Sioux ; 
also  cede  to  the  United  States  a  similar  tract  of  twenty 
miles  wide,  on  the  north  side  of  the  tract  above  ceded  by 
*he  Sacs  and  Foxes. 

The  time  having  arrived  for  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  to  leave 
_the  east  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  under  the  treaty  of  1804, 
Ke-o-kuck,  or  "  Watchful  Fox,"  the  leader  of  the  friendly 
Sacs  and  Foxes,  erected  his  wigwam  on  the  west  side  of 
the  river,  and  was  followed  by  perhaps  two-thirds  of  the 
two  tribes;  but  Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiah,  or  the  "Black 
Sparrow-Hawk,"  commonly  called  "  Black  Hawk,"  with 
his  band,  refused  to  leave  their  village  near  Rock  Island. 
They  contended  that  they  had  not  sold  their  village,  evi- 
dently believing  that  the  Americans  would  not  drive  them 
off  by  force. 

"  Black  Hawk"  and  his  surviving  warriors  of  the  war  of 
1812,  were  evidently  no  friends  of  the  Americans,  and 
associated  with  his  brother,  "Wau-ba-kee-shik,  the  "  Pro- 
phet," sent  his  war  belts  to  neighboring  tribes,  and  sought 
to  establish  another  confederacy,  after  the  manner  of 
Pontiac  and  Tecumseh,  claiming  to  have  had  promises  of 
assistance  from  the  English  at  Maiden,  and  the  Potowa- 
tomies,  Winnebagoes  and  other  tribes;  but  as  the  sequel 
proved,  he  evidently  imposed  on  his  too  credulous  warriors. 

In  the  spring  of  1832,  Governor  Reynolds,  of  Illinois, 
ordered  out  1,800  militia,  and  notified  General  Atkinson, 
then  in  command  of  the  regular  troops,  of  the  movements 
of  Black  Hawk.  The  General  moved  up  the  Mississippi 
early  in  April,  and  ordered  "  Black  Hawk "  to  leave  the 
country.  The  27th  of  April,  the  Illinois  militia,  under 
Brigadier-General  Samuel  Whitesides,  of  the  State  militia, 
commenced  their  march  up  the  Mississippi  to  Rock  river. 

"Black  Hawk,"  hearing  of  the  advance  of  forces,  re- 


296  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

treated  up  Rock  river,  and  sent  word  to  General  Atkinson 
that  he  was  going  to  raise  corn  at  the  prophet's  town  above. 

General  Whiteside  was  ordered  to  follow  "  Black  Hawk" 
fifty  miles,  to  the  prophet's  town,  and  await  the  arrival  of 
the  regular  troops  under  General  Atkinson,  with  provisions. 

Pursuant  to  the  order,  General  Whiteside  advanced  to 
the  prophet's  town,  which  he  burnt,  and  forty  miles  further, 
to  Dixon's  ferry,  where  he  met  Majors  Stillman  and  Baily, 
with  275  additional  militia  from  the  region  of  Peoria,  and 
halted  for  the  regular  troops. 

Majors  Stillman  and  Baily  asked  leave  to  follow  after 
"  Black  Hawk,"  to  watch  his  motions,  and  were  allowed  to 
do  so.  They  advanced  with  their  forces  the  12th  of  May, 
to  a  place  now  called  Stillman's  Run,  and  encamped  for  the 
night.  Soon  after  the  camp  was  pitched,  they  discovered 
three  Indians  a  mile  distant,  approaching  with  a  white  flag, 
when  a  few  of  Stillman's  men,  without  orders,  mounted 
their  horses,  advanced  upon  and  took  the  Indians  prisoners. 
"  Black  Hawk  "  dispatched  five  more  Indians  to  look  after 
the  first  three  who  were  attacked ;  two  of  these  were  killed 
by  Stillman's  men,  and  the  balance  escaped.  "  Black 
Hawk,"  being  near  at  hand,  raised  the  war-whoop  and 
attacked  the  advance  party,  who,  retreating  back  to  their 
camp,  spread  the  alarm,  when  the  whole  of  Stillman's  force 
broke  and  fled  to  Dixon,  and  were  pursued  by  some  forty 
Indians  several  miles.  Eleven  whites  were  killed.  The 
Indians  lost  three,  and  received  the  plunder  of  the  camp. 

"  Black  Hawk  "  then  advanced  up  the  river,  and  pitched 
his  camp  near  the  four  lakes,  in  Wisconsin.  General 
Atkinson  soon  joined  General  Whiteside  at  Dixon,  when 
the  militia  insisted  on  going  home,  and  were  discharged 
from  further  service. 

When  the  news  of  the  advance  of  "  Black  Hawk "  up 
Rock  river  reached  the  mining  region  in  Wisconsin,  General 
Dodge,  of  Dodgeville,  raised  a  party  of  twenty-seven  volun- 
teers, and  started  for  Rock  river,  to  confer  with  General 


THE  SACS,  POXES,  AND  POTOW ATOMIES.  297 

Atkinson,  but  met  an  express  from  Governor  Reynolds, 
advising  him  of  the  fight  at  Stillman's  Run,  when  he  turned 
home,  and  rallied  the  miners  to  defend  the  country.  They 
in  a  few  days  erected  thirteen  forts  or  block-houses,  for  the 
security  of  their  families,  and  General  Dodge  occupied  Fort 
Union  at  Dodgeville. 

Black  Hawk  dispatched  numerous  parties  to  the  settle- 
ments, to  kill  and  plunder.  One  of  these  parties  came  to 
the  mines  and  commenced  depredations. 

General  Dodge  immediately  rallied  twenty-eight  men, 
followed  the  trail  of  the  Indians  to  the  Pickatonica  river, 
when,  leaving  their  horses  with  seven  men,  General  Dodge 
and  the  balance  waded  the  river,  and  as  they  raised  the 
opposite  bank,  received  the  fire  of  the  Indians,  then  in 
ambush.  Nothing  daunted,  the  General  and  his  party 
charged  the  Indians  before  they  could  load,  killing  every 
one  in  less  than  five  minutes  —  seventeen  in  number  —  while 
the  loss  of  the  miners  was  only  three  killed  and  one 
wounded. 

This  affair  showed  to  good  advantage  the  character  of 
General  Dodge,  who  had  been  raised  in  the  Indian  country. 
Several  other  skirmishes  were  had  before  the  advance  of 
General  Atkinson. 

After  the  return  of  the  militia,  General  Atkinson  had  too 
small  a  force  to  advance,  and  Governor  Reynolds  again 
called  for  volunteers,  when  4,200  men  hastened  to  the 
general's  standard,  and  by  the  22nd  of  June  commenced 
ascending  Rock  river.  They  found  that  "  Black  Hawk  " 
was  at  the  mouth  of  White  Water  river,  above  Lake 
Koshkonong.  General  Atkinson  sent  a  part  of  his  forces 
by  way  of  the  mines,  where  they  were  joined  by  General 
Dodge  and  250  miners,  and  formed  a  junction  with  General 
Atkinson  at  Koshkonong.  The  commander  of  the  expedi- 
tion being  short  of  provisions,  he  sent  Generals  Henry, 
Alexander,  Posey,  and  Dodge,  with  their  commands,  to 
Fort  Winnebago  for  supplies.  Generals  Posey  and  Alex- 
19* 


298  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

ander  returned  with  the  provisions,  and  Generals  Henry  and 
Dodge  struck  across  the  country  to  Rock  river,  at  the 
rapids,  where  they  discovered  the  Indian  trail  and  gave 
immediate  pursuit.  On  the  21st  of  July  they  reached  the 
south  bank  of  the  Wisconsin  river,  opposite  Sac  Prairie, 
where  they  found  "  Black  Hawk  "  engaged  in  transporting 
his  squaws  and  children  across  the  river.  "  Black  Hawk  " 
led  a  part  of  his  waniors  against  the  whites  to  hold  them  in 
check,  while  the  balance  aided  in  crossing  the  river.  The 
battle  lasted  until  dark,  and  the  Indians  crossed  the  river 
with  small  loss. 

"  Black  Hawk  "  bent  his  course  through  the  heavy  forests 
to  the  north-west,  hoping  to  escape  across  the  Mississippi ; 
and  as  his  poor  fugitive  band  toiled  over  those  high  and 
interminable  bluffs,  they  left  the  trail  literally  strewed  with 
those  who  had  died  from  wounds  and  starvation.  At  length 
they  reached  the  Mississippi  some  two  miles  below  the 
mouth  of  Bad  Ax  river,  and  commenced  crossing  in  canoes, 
but  were  stopped  by  a  steamboat  sent  up  the  river  with 
some  troops  and  a  cannon.  On  the  2nd  day  of  August, 
the  American  forces,  the  advance  of  which  was  led  on  by 
General  Dodge,  and  supported  by  Colonel  Zach.  Taylor, 
with  his  regulars,  came  up  on  the  trail,  and  commenced  an 
immediate  attack.  The  warriors  attempted  to  check  the 
troops,  while  the  squaws,  with  their  childi-en  on  their  backs, 
attempted  to  swim  across  a  branch  of  the  river  to  an  island, 
but  were  mercilessly  shot  down  by  the  exasperated  soldiers. 
"  Black  Hawk,"  with  the  Prophet  and  their  families, 
escaped  to  the  Winnebago  village  at  La  Crosse,  and 
delivered  themselves  up  to  De  Carry,  the  chief  of  that 
band.  About  one  hundred  and  fifty  escaped  across  the 
river,  but  were  pursued  by  the  Sioux,  then  allies  of  the 
Americans,  and  nearly  half  of  them  massacred  by  those 
savages. 

Prisoners  were  not  reckoned  among  the  trophies  of  the 
victory.  Mr.  James  Reed,  who  visited  the  battle-ground 


THE  SACS,  FOXES,  AND  POTOW  ATOMIES.  299 

the  same  day,  declared  to  the  writer  that  it  was  literally  a 
slaughter  of  squaws  and  children ;  and  that,  drifted  against 
some  flood-wood,  he  counted  a  dozen  Indian  girls  from 
fourteen  to  sixteen  years  of  age,  who  had  been  shot  in 
attempting  to  swim  the  river.  He  rescued  a  little  girl  who 
was  clinging  to  her  dead  mother,  and  took  her  to  the 
prairie. 

The  Winnebago  chief,  Winnoshiek,  whose  wife  was 
sister  to  the  "  Prophet,"  remained  neutral ;  but  his  son, 
about  eighteen  years  old,  acted  as  guide  to  "  Black  Hawk," 
and,  together  with  a  son  of  the  "  Prophet,"  about  the  same 
age,  were  wounded  and  taken  prisoners  early  the  next 
morning  after  the  battle,  while  engaged  in  helping  some 
squaws  to  cross  the  river  from  the  island. 

De  Carry,  another  Winnebago  chief,  assisted  the  Ameri- 
cans with  a  company  of  warriors,  and  aided  a  party  of 
whites  in  capturing  a  few  Indians  and  squaws  who  went 
down  the  Wisconsin ;  but  he  had  returned  to  La  Crosse,  at 
the  time  of  the  battle  at  Bad  Ax. 

"  Black  Hawk"  and  his  party,  in  all  twenty-one,  delivered 
themselves  to  De  Carry  at  La  Crosse,  who  sent  "  Black 
Hawk"  and  the  "  Prophet"  to  the  government  agent  at 
Prairie  Du  Chien,  by  I\7iay-rah-tshoan-saip-Jcaw,  or  "  Black 
Hawk,"  an  under  chief  of  the  Winnebagoes,  and  a  canoe- 
man,  who  was  half-breed  Sioux  and  Winnebago.  Mr.  James 
Reed  saw  the  party  land  at  Prairie  Du  Chien. 

The  newspaper  speeches  put  into  the  mouths  of  De  Carry 
and  Charter,  if  made  by  any  Indians,  were  made  by  the 
Winnebago  "  Black  Hawk"  and  his  boatman,  as  De  Carry 
informed  the  writer  that  he  did  not  go  to  Prairie  Du  Chien 
at  the  time.  Through  the  influence  of  Mr.  Saterlee  Clark, 
then  an  Indian  trader  at  the  Prairie,  and  perhaps  some 
others,  the  government  paid  $1,000  for  the  capture  of 
"  Black  Hawk"  and  the  "  Prophet,"  which  was  distributed 
between  Mr.  Clark,  De  Carry,  one  of  the  "  Thunders,"  and 
probably  some  others. 


300  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

This  war  having  closed  by  the  killing  or  capture  of  the 
greater  part  of  "  Black  Hawk's"  and  the  "  Prophet's"  band, 
the  government  convened  at  Rock  Island  the  balance  of  the 
Sacs  and  Foxes,  and  on  the  21st  day  of  September,  1832, 
concluded  a  treaty  with  them,  of  which  the  following  is  the 
preamble : 

"  Whereas,  under  certain  lawless  and  desperate  leaders,  a 
formidable  band,  constituting  a  large  portion  of  the  Sac  and 
Fox  nation,  left  their  country  in  April  last,  and,  in  violation 
of  treaties,  commenced  an  unprovoked  war  upon  unsuspect- 
ing and  defenceless  citizens  of  the  United  States,  sparing 
neither  age  nor  sex ;  and  whereas  the  United  States,  at  a 
great  expense  of  treasure,  have  subdued  the  said  hostile 
bauds,  killing  and  capturing  all  its  principal  chiefs  and 
warriors,  the  said  States,  partly  as  indemnity  for  the 
expense  incurred,  and  partly  to  secure  the  future  safety  and 
tranquility  of  the  invaded  frontier,  demand  of  the  said 
tribes,  to  the  use  of  the  United  States,  a  cession  of  a  tract 
of  the  Sac  and  Fox  country  bordering  on  said  frontier,  more 
than  proportional  to  the  number  of  the  hostile  band  who 
have  been  so  conquered  and  subdued. 

"  ARTICLE  I.  Accordingly,  the  confederated  tribes  of 
Sacs  and  Foxes  hereby  cede  to  the  United  States  for  ever, 
all  the  lands  to  which  the  said  tribes  have  title  or  claim 
(with  the  exception  of  the  reservation  hereinafter  made,) 
included  within  the  following  bounds,  to  wit:  Beginning 
on  the  Mississippi  river,  at  a  point  where  the  Sac  and  Fox 
northern  boundary  line,  as  established  by  the  second  article 
of  the  treaty  of  Prairie  Du  Chien,  of  the  15th  of  July,  1825, 
strikes  said  river ;  thence  up  said  boundary  line  to  a  point 
fifty  miles  from  the  Mississippi,  measured  on  said  line; 
thence  in  a  right  line  to  the  nearest  point  on  the  Red  Cedar 
of  the  Iowa,  forty  miles  from  the  Mississippi  river ;  thence 
in  a  right  line  to  a  point  in  the  northern  boundary  line  of 
the  State  of  Missouri,  fifty  miles,  measured  on  said  bound- 
ary, from  the  Mississippi  river ;  thence  by  the  last  men- 


BLACK    HAWK 

(SAC  CHIEF.) 


THE  SACS,  FOXES,  AND  POTOWATOMIES.  303 

tioned  boundary  to  the  Mississippi  river,  and  by  the  western 
shore  of  said  river  to  the  place  of  beginning." 

The  Sacs  and  Foxes  further  agreed  to  remove  from  said 
land  by  the  1st  of  June,  1832,  and  not  hunt  or  fish  thereon 
after  that  date. 

The  reservation  above  named  was  of  four  hundred  square 
miles,  on  both  sides  of  the  Iowa  river,  which  was  to  include 
Ke-o-kuk's  village,  located  twelve  miles  from  the  Missis- 
sippi. 

In  addition  to  our  losses  in  the  war,  the  United  States 
agreed  to  pay  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  an  annual  annuity  of 
$20,000  for  thirty  years,  and  also  pay  "  Farnham  and 
Davenport,  Indian  traders  at  Rock  Island,  the  sum  of 
$40,000,"  for  Indian  debts,  and  grant  to  Le  Claire,  inter- 
preter, two  sections  of  land,  and  maintain  among  the  Sacs 
and  Foxes  a  gun  and  blacksmith,  with  steel,  etc. 

The  United  States  restored  all  prisoners,  but  stipulated 
that  the  remnant  of  "  Black  Hawk's"  band  should  be  dis- 
tributed equally  among  the  two  tribes ;  and  "  Black  Hawk," 
the  "  Prophet,"  their  sons,  Napope,  and  two  other  warriors, 
should  remain,  during  the  pleasure  of  the  President,  as 
hostages  for  the  good  conduct  of  their  band. 

The  United  States,  also,  "  to  give  a  striking  evidence  of 
their  mercy  and  liberality,"  gave  the  tribes  "  thirty -five  beef 
cattle,  twelve  bushels  of  salt,  thirty  barrels  of  pork,  and 
fifty  barrels  of  flour,  and  cause  to  be  delivered,  for  the  same 
purpose,  in  the  month  of  April  next,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
lower  Iowa,  6,000  bushels  of  corn."  The  treaty  was 
signed  by  Major-General  Winfield  Scott  and  Governor 
John  'Reynolds,  on  the  part  of  the  United  States,  and  by 
Ke-o-kuk  and  thirty-two  chiefs  and  warriors  on  the  part  of 
the  United  States. 


304  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

This  treaty  opened  the  whole  eastern  part  of  the  present 
State  of  Iowa  for  settlement,  and  in  June  and  July  of  1833 
the  great  tide  of  emigrants  poured  into  and  founded  that 
State.  The  reservation  named  in  the  foregoing  treaty  was 
finally  ceded  to  the  United  States,  September  28th,  1836, 
for  which  the  government  paid  seventy-five  cents  per  acre 
in  coin. 

By  another  treaty,  made  October  21st,  1837,  the  Sacs  and 
Foxes  ceded  1,250,000  acres  lying  along  the  west  line  of 
the  cession  of  1832,  for  which  the  United  States  gave 
$377,000. 

The  Sacs  and  Foxes  of  the  Missouri  river,  by  a  separate 
treaty  of  the  same  date,  ceded  to  the  United  States  all  the 
land  belonging  to  that  band  east  of  the  Missouri  river,  for 
which  the  government  paid  them  $160,000. 

And  finally,  on  the  llth  of  October,  1842,  the  confederate 
tribes  of  Sacs  and  Foxes  ceded  all  the  balance  of  their  lands 
west  of  the  Mississippi,  for  $1,058,566,  besides  some  items 
of  provisions,  etc. ;  and  in  addition,  the  United  States 
engaged  to  procure  them  another  tract  of  land,  for  their 
residence,  on  the  Missouri  river  or  its  branches,  and  the 
Mississippi  bands  were  accordingly  located  by  the  Presi- 
dent on  a  reservation  of  435,200  acres  on  the  Osage  river; 
while  the  Missouri  band  occupied  a  reservation  on  the  south 
side  of  the  Great  Nemaha  river,  nearly  in  the  south-eastern 
corner  of  the  territory  of  Nebraska. 

By  a  new  treaty,  the  Sac  and  Fox  band  of  the  Missouri, 
in  1863,  were  located  on  twenty -five  sections  previously 
belonging  to  the  lowas,  while  their  own  lands  were  to  be 
frold  for  the  joint  benefit  of  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  and  lowas. 

The  accounts  which  have  been  given  by  authors  from 
time  to  time  of  the  numbers  of  the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  have 
varied  much  more  than  the  tribe  would  be  likely  to  change, 
and  the  inaccuracies  probably  originated  from  the  lack  of 
proper  information. 

When  the  Rev.  Father  Allouez  first  met  these  tribes  at 


THE  SACS,  FOXES,  AKD  POTOWATOMIES.  305 

Cha-goua-mi-gong  bay,  Lake  Superior,  in  1665,  he  estimated 
the  Foxes  at  1,000  warriors  and  hunters;  and  while  he  did 
not  pretend  to  estimate  the  Sacs,  he  remarked  that  he  had 
seen  two  hundred  of  their  warriors.  When  the  Rev.  Father 
visited  the  Foxes  at  their  residence  on  Fox  river,  in  1670, 
he  remarked,  that  "  this  nation  is  renowned  for  being 
numerous ;  they  have  more  than  four  hundred  men  bearing 
arms ;  the  number  of  women  and  children  is  greater,  on 
account  of  polygamy,  which  exists  among  them,  each  man 
having  commonly  four  wives,  some  of  them  six,  and  others 
as  high  as  ten ;"  and  that  the  previous  March,  "six  great 
lodges,"  containing  about  one  hundred,  were  cut  off  by  the 
Iroquois.  In  1718  the  Foxes  were  estimated  by  the  French 
to  have  five  hundred  men,  and  the  Sacs  one  hundred  and 
twenty;  and  in  1736  they  were  again  set  down  at  one 
hundred  and  fifty  Sac  and  one  hundred  Fox  warriors.  In 
1763  Sir  William  Johnson  estimated  them  at  three  hundred 
Sac  and  three  hundred  and  twenty  Fox  (men.)  Lieutenant 
Gorrill,  commandant  at  Green  Bay,  in  1761,  estimated  the 
Foxes  on  Fox  river  at  three  hundred  and  fifty  warriors, 
and  Sacs,  near  the  Mississippi,  at  the  same  number. 

Captain  Carver,  who  visited  these  tribes  in  1766,  estimated 
the  Sacs  at  300  warriors,  who  spent  their  summers  in  wars 
against  the  Illinois  and  Pawnee  Indians ;  and  stated  that 
the  Sacs  then  lived  on  the  Wisconsin  river  at  a  great  village 
of  ninety  houses,  one  day's  journey  below  the  portage. 
Their  houses  were  "built  of  hewn  plank,  neatly  jointed, 
and  covered  with  bark,"  each  large  enough  to  hold  several 
families.  About  this  time  the  band  probably  located  at 
Rock  Island.  The  Foxes  he  found  at  Prairie  Du  Chien, 
which  then  contained  about  three  hundred  houses,  "  well 
built  after  the  Indian  manner." 

In  1841,  it  appears  from  a  public  document,  that  the  Sacs 

and   Foxes   of  the   Mississippi,  by  estimation,  numbered 

6,400,  and  those  of  the  Missouri  river,  500  souls.     In  June, 

1858,  the  former  numbered  1,330,  and  the  latter,  322 ;  while 

20 


306  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

in  1863,  the  former  numbered  in  May  only  975,  and  the 
latter,  betVeen  the  ages  of  eighteen  and  forty -five,  sixty,  of 
whom  thirty-seven  were,  in  October  of  that  year,  volunteers 
in  the  United  States  military  service. 

By  the  census  of  May  15,  1865,  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  of 
the  Mississippi  in  Kansas  numbered  364  men,  and  441 
women,  while  those  of  the  Missouri  in  the  Great  Nemaha 
agency,  numbered  only  44  men  and  51  women,  or  a  total  of 
900  souls. 

It  is  believed,  however,  by  the  writer,  that  this  diminution 
is  not  caused  by  the  absolute  decay  of  the  tribes  to  the 
extent  indicated,  but  mainly  to  the  uncivilized  portions 
emigrating  to  the  regions  of  the  buffalo  and  the  Rocky 
mountains.  In  1859  a  chief,  with  six  lodges,  dissatisfied 
with  the  efforts  of  government  to  establish  civilization, 
removed,  and  settled  in  Iowa,  where  they  were  in  1866.  It 
is  a  fact  well  known,  that  many  of  the  trappers  and  traders 
of  Wisconsin  and  Minnesota,  passed  on  before  the  tide  of 
emigration,  and  their  log  huts  for  years  after  might  have 
been  seen  among  the  beaver  dams  in  the  dark  canons  of 
the  sources  of  the  Columbia  and  Missouri  livers ;  and  it  is 
reasonable  to  infer  that  most  of  those  took  with  them  their 
Indian  friends,  with  whom  they  had  become  connected  in 
marriage  or  in  trade.  The  Indian  loves  hunting,  and  when 
game  became  scarce  in  one  locality,  it  was  his  custom  to 
go  where  it  was  more  plenty ;  and  thus  probably  thousands 
have  joined  the  tribes  of  the  Rocky  mountains,  thereby 
decimating  the  eastern  tribes,  and  leading  us  to  believe  that 
civilization  is  working  their  extermination. 

The  Sacs  and  Foxes  of  the  Kansas  agency,  in  1865,  raised 
7,500  bushels  of  corn,  and  had  1,700  horses  and  ponies;  and 
the  total  of  all  their  personal  property  was  estimated  at 
$71,910.  They  are,  however,  what  are  called  "Blanket 
Indians,"  having  as  yet  not  availed  themselves,  to  much 
extent,  of  the  allotment  of  the  land,  as  provided  by  an  act 


POTOWATOMIES.  307 

of  Congress,  although  their  land  has  lately  been  surveyed 
for  that  purpose. 

In  April,  1863,  the  Rev.  R.  P.  Duval,  and  lady,  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  commenced  a  mission  school 
in  the  tribe ;  also  a  Sabbath  school,  with  preaching  on  the 
Sabbath.  They  received  some  help  from  some  members  of 
the  tribe,  and  in  1866  the  government  rendered  them  some 
assistance  from  the  educational  fund ;  and  the  latter  year 
wei'e  reported  as  well  sustained  by  the  Indians,  and  as 
accomplishing  much  good.  Drunkenness  in  1865  had  nearly 
disappeared  from  the  tribe,  and  Superintendent  Murphy, 
the  following  year,  said  of  them,  that  "  They  are,  as  a 
tribe,  the  most  intelligent  Indians  I  have  yet  met,  and  I 
believe  as  a  general  thing  mean  to  do  right."  During  1866, 
traders  sowed  dissensions  among  them,  and  much  embit- 
tered the  uncivilized  portions,  headed  by  their  chief,  Mo- 
ko-ho-ko,  and  nearly  produced  a  civil  war ;  but  these 
differences  were  harmonized  by  special  agent  W.  R.  Irwin, 
and  peace  was  restored.  The  chiefs  Keokuk,  Che-ko-skuck, 
and  Pah-teck-quaw,  head  the  party  for  civilization,  and 
themselves  live  in  houses  and  cultivate  land.  The  duty  of 
government  in  this  case  to  render  prompt  protection  was 
made  apparent  by  the  Sioux  massacre. 

The  Sacs  and  Foxes  of  the  Missouri,  in  1866,  were 
reported  by  agent  Norris  as  not  as  much  advanced  in  civili- 
zation as  the  lowas,  but  were  "a  remarkably  civil,  well- 
disposed  tribe." 

POTOWATOMIES. 

This  tribe,  according  to  the  Jesuit  missionaries,  originally 
occupied,  with  the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  that  part  of  Michigan 
between  Saginaw  Bay  and  Lake  Michigan.  In  1639  a  band 
of  them  occupied  the  northern  islands  in  Green  Bay,  and 
were  by  the  Sioux,  the  next  year,  driven  off,  and  took  refuge 
at  the  falls  of  St.  Mary.  The  identity  of  their  language  and 
customs  with  the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  leaves  no  doubt  that  they 


308  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

were  originally  a  kindred  band  to  those  tribes,  and  expelled 
with  them  from  Canada  previous  to  1639,  by  the  Iroquois. 
After  that  war  subsided,  and  previous  to  1700,  the  Potowat- 
omies  divided  into  two  principal  bands,  and  one  located 
near  Detroit,  and  the  other  at  St.  Joseph's,  Michigan  ;  while 
a  few  stragglers,  with  others  of  a  like  character  from  several 
other  tribes,  located  at  Milwaukee,  which  were  afterwards 
known  as  "  the  united  tribes  of  Ottawas,  Chippeways  and 
Pottawatamies,  residing  on  the  Illinois  and  Milwaukee 
rivers,  and  their  waters,  and  on  the  south-western  parts  of 
Lake  Michigan."  Captain  De  Peyster,  the  British  com- 
mandant at  Mackinaw  in  1779,  called  these  bands  "rune- 
gates  of  Milwaukee  —  a  horrid  set  of  refractory  Indians." 
It  was  these  bands  that  attacked  and  captured  the  retreating 
command  of  Captain  Heald,  at  Chicago,  August  15,  1812. 

These  lawless  bands  having  no  land  of  their  own,  natur- 
ally enough  claimed  all  the  land  of  their  respective  tribes, 
and  the  United  States  got  into  difficulty  with  them  in  their 
purchase  of  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  of  the  south-west  part  of 
Wisconsin,  and  north-west  part  of  Illinois,  by  the  treaty  of 
1804. 

To  settle  all  cause  of  complaint,  the  United  States  treated 
with  them  August  24, 1816,  obtained  a  release  of  their  claim 
of  the  land  purchased  of  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  south  of  "  a 
due  west  line  from  the  southern  extremity  of  Lake  Michi- 
gan to  the  Mississippi,"  and  the  United  States  released  to 
them  the  balance  of  their  purchase  north  of  said  line, 
except  five  leagues  square  at  the  mouth  of  the  Wisconsin 
river,  including  Prairie  Du  Chien.  The  United  States  also 
purchased  of  them  the  following  tract :  "  Beginning  on  the 
left  bank  of  the  Fox  river  of  Illinois,  ten  miles  above  the 
mouth  of  said  Fox  river;  thence,  running  so  as  to  cross 
Sandy  creek  ten  miles  above  its  mouth ;  thence,  in  a  direct 
line,  to  a  point  ten  miles  north  of  the  west  end  of  the  por- 
tage, between  Chicago  creek,  which  empties  into  Lake 
Michigan,  and  the  river  Desplaines,  a  fork  of  the  Illinois; 


POTOWATOMIES.  309 

thence,  in  a  dii-ect  line,  to  a  point  on  Lake  Michigan  ten 
miles  northward  of  the  mouth  of  Chicago  creek ;  thence, 
along  the  lake,  to  a  point  ten  miles  southward  of  the  mouth 
of  said  Chicago  creek ;  thence,  in  a  direct  line,  to  a  point  on 
the  Kankakee  ten  miles  above  its  mouth ;  thence,  with  the 
said  Kankakee  and  the  Illinois  river,  to  the  mouth  of  Fox 
river ;  and  thence,  to  the  place  of  beginning."  This  tract 
included  Chicago,  which  had  previously  been  purchased  by 
General  Wayne  in  1795. 

As  the  consideration  for  the  cession  in  the  treaty,  the 
United  States  delivered  "  a  considerable  quantity  of  mer- 
chandise," and  agreed  "  to  pay  them,  annually,  for  the  term 
of  twelve  years,  goods  to  the  value  of  $1,000,  at  cost  price." 

By  the  treaty  of  1825  with  the  various  tribes,  to  settle 
their  respective  boundaries,  and  to  establish  peace  between 
the  Sioux  on  one  part,  and  the  Chippeways,  Sacs,  Foxes, 
lowas,  and  probably  other  tribes  on  the  other,  it  was  found 
that  nearly  all  the  tribes  had  conflicting  boundaries ;  but 
the  United  States  recognized  the  rights  of  these  bands  of 
Ottawas,  Chippeways,  and  Potowatomies  to  the  mineral 
country  about  Galena,  and  in  1828  the  United  States  made 
an  unsuccessful  attempt  to  purchase  that  country  of  these 
bands.  They  renewed  the  effort  the  following  year,  and, 
July  29th,  obtained  the  following  cession:  "  Beginning  at 
the  Winnebago  village,  on  Rock  river,  forty  miles  from  its 
mouth,  and  running  thence  down  the  Rock  river  to  a  line 
which  runs  due  west  from  the  most  southern  bend  of  Lake 
Michigan  to  the  Mississippi  river,  and  with  that  line  to  the 
Mississippi  river  opposite  Rock  Island ;  thence  up  that 
river  to  the  United  States  reservation  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Ouisconsin ;  thence  with  the  south  and  east  lines  of  said 
reservation  to  the  Ouisconsin  river;  thence  southerly, 
passing  the  heads'  of  the  small  streams  emptying  into  the 
Mississippi,  to  the  Rock  river  aforesaid,  at  the  Winnebago 
village,  the  place  of  beginning. 

"  Also,  one  other  tract  of  land,  described  as  follows,  to 


310 


UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 


wit:  Beginning  on  the  western  shore  of  Lake  Michigan,  at 
the  north-east  corner  of  the  field  of  Antoine  Ouitmette,  who 
lives  near  Gross  Pointe,  about  twelve  miles  north  of 
Chicago ;  thence  running  due  west  to  Rock  river,  afore- 
said ;  thence  down  the  said  river  to  where  a  line  drawn  due 
west  from  the  most  southern  bend  of  Lake  Michigan  crosses 
said  river;  thence  east,  along  said  line,  to  the  Fox  river  of 
the  Illinois ;  thence  along  the  north-western  boundary  line 
of  the  cession  of  181  b  to  Lake  Michigan;  thence  north- 
wardly, along  the  western  shore  of  said  lake  to  the  place 
of  beginning."  From  these  tracts,  the  Indians  reserved 
eleven  sections  for  three  Indians,  and  several  more  for 
certain  half-breeds. 

The  consideration  paid  for  this  purchase  was:  $11,601, 
for  Indian  debts;  $12,000  worth  of  goods  the  following 
October,  and  $16,000  "  annually  for  ever  in  specie;"  and 
"  make  permanent,  for  the  use  of  the  said  Indians,  the  black- 
smith's establishment  at  Chicago." 

By  a  treaty  with  the  Potowatomies,  without  naming  any 
other  bands,  made  October  20th,  1832,  they  ceded  the  fol- 
lowing additional  territory :  "  Beginning  at  a  point  on 
Lake  Michigan  ten  miles  southward  of  the  mouth  of 
Chicago  river;  thence,  in  a  direct  line,  to  a  point  on  the 
Kankakee  river,  ten  miles  above  its  mouth ;  thence,  with 
said  river  and  the  Illinois  river  to  the  mouth  of  Fox  river, 
being  the  boundary  of  a  cession  made  by  them  in  1816; 
thence,  with  the  southern  boundary  of  the  Indian  territory, 
to  the  State  line  between  Illinois  and  Indiana ;  thence  north 
with  said  line  to  Lake  Michigan ;  thence,  with  the  shore  of 
Lake  Michigan,  to  the  place  of  beginning." 

From  this  tract  nearly  forty  sections  were  reserved  to 
various  chiefs  and  half-breeds.  The  government  gave  the 
Indians  for  this  tract  an  annuity  for  twenty  years  of  $15,000, 
and  $600  annually  to  Billy  Caldwell,  $200  to  Alexander 
Robinson,  and  $200  to  Peter  Le  Clerc,  during  their  natural 
lives;  also,  paid  Indian  debts  to  traders,  $28,746;  $75,000 


POTOWATOMIES.  311 

in  merchandise,  and  $1,400  for  horses  stolen  during  the 
"  Black  Hawk"  war ;  and  the  Indians  were  allowed  to 
hunt  and  fish  on  the  land  and  vicinity  as  long  as  it  remained 
the  property  of  the  United  States,  in  consideration  that  said 
tribe  had  been  "  the  faithful  allies  of  the  United  States 
during  the  late  conflict  with  the  Sacs  and  Foxes." 

The  other  bands  of  the  Potowatomies  that  emigrated  to 
Detroit  and  to  St.  Joseph's,  above  mentioned,  by  diverse 
treaties  sold  the  most  of  their  land  in  Indiana,  Ohio,  and 
Michigan,  except  some  reservations,  and  emigrated  west  of 
the  Mississippi,  where  a  general  treaty  was  formed  in  1846, 
uniting  the  different  bands,  with  the  following  preamble : 
"  Whereas,  the  various  bands  of  the  Potowatomie  Indians, 
known  as  the  Chippeways,  Ottawas,  and  Potowatomies,  the 
Potowatomies  of  the  Prairie,  the  Potowatomies  of  the 
W abash,  and  the  Potowatomies  of  Indiana,  have,  subse- 
quent to  the  year  1828,  entered  into  separate  and  distinct 
treaties  with  the  United  States,  by  which  they  have  been 
separated  and  located  in  different  countries,  and  difficulties 
have  arisen  as  to  the  proper  distribution  of  the  stipulations 
under  various  treaties,  and  being  the  same  people  by 
kindred,  by  feeling,  and  by  language,  and  having,  in  former 
periods,  lived  on  and  owned  their  lands  in  common ;  and 
being  desirous  to  unite  in  one  common  country,  and  again 
become  one  people,  and  receive  their  annuities  and  other 
benefits  in  common,  and  to  abolish  all  minor  distinctions 
of  bands  by  which  they  have  heretofore  been  divided,  and 
are  anxious  to  be  known  only  as  the  POTOWATOMIE  NATION, 
thereby  reinstating  the  national  character ;  and  whereas  the 
Unite'd  States  are  also  anxious  to  restore  and  concentrate 
said  tribes  to  a  state  so  desirable  and  necessary  for  the 
happiness  of  their  people,  as  well  as  to  enable  the  govern- 
ment to  arrange  and  manage  its  intercourse  with  them : 
now,  therefore,  the  United  States  and  said  Indians  do 
hereby  agree  that  said  people  shall  hereafter  be  known  ag.  a 
nation,  to  be  called  the  POTOWATOMIE  NATION." 


812  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

By  the  second  article  of  said  treaty,  "  the  said  tribes  of 
Indians  hereby  agree  to  sell  and  cede,  and  do  hereby  sell 
and  cede  to  the  United  States,  all  the  lands  to  which  they 
have  claim  of  any  kind  whatsoever,  and  especially  the  tracts 
or  parcels  of  lands  ceded  to  them  by  the  treaty  of  Chicago, 
and  subsequent  thereto,  and  now  in  whole  or  in  part  pos- 
sessed by  their  people,  lying  and  being  north  of  the  river 
Missouri,  and  embraced  in  the  limits  of  the  territory  of  Iowa, 
and  also  all  that  tract  of  country  lying  and  being  on  or  near 
the  Osage  river,  and  west  of  the  State  of  Missouri ;  it  being 
understood  that  these  cessions  are  not  to  affect  the  title  of 
said  Indians  to  any  grants  or  reservations  made  to  them  by 
former  treaties." 

The  consideration  for  this  cession  was  $850,000  ;  $87,000 
of  which  were  to  be  paid  by  the  cession  to  the  Indians  of 
576,000  acres  of  land  on  both  sides  of  the  Kansas  river, 
west  of  the  Missouri  river,  on  to  which  land  the  consolidated 
tribe  wTas  to  remove  and  permanently  settle,  within  two 
years  from  the  date  of  the  ratification  of  the  treaty. 

They  promptly  removed  to  their  reservation,  with  few 
exceptions,  and  numbered,  on  the  "annuity  roll  of  1854," 
3,444.  Two  hundred  and  fifty,  who  had  intermarried  with 
the  Kickapoos,  remained  with  that  tribe,  a  few  families  with 
the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  and  a  few  more  remained  back  in  the 
States  of  Illinois,  Indiana,  and  Michigan,  so  that  the  whole 
tribe  in  1854  was  estimated  to  contain  about  4,000  souls. 

The  political  diificulties  which  originated  in  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Kansas  territory  in  1854,  tended  to  demoralize 
the  Indians  of  that  territory,  and  the  new  emigrants  tres- 
passed upon  their  lands,  and  sold  them  whisky;  and  the  anti- 
legislative  party  opened  the  ballot-box  and  attempted  to 
make  partisan  speeches  among  them,  notwithstanding  the 
Indian  reservations  were  expressly  excluded  from  the 
operations  of  the  law  organizing  the  territory.  The 
"  Prairie"  or  "  Blanket"  Indians,  who  were  adverse  to  the 
civilization  of  the  tribe,  committed  depredations  on  the 


POTOWATOMIES.  313 

"  Farmer"  Indians,  by  killing  some  of  their  stock  and  burn- 
ing some  of  their  cabins,  but,  fortunately  for  the  Indians, 
they  did  not  so  far  approximate  to  civilization  as  to  imitate 
their  white  neighbors  in  their  midnight  assassinations. 

The  Indians  complained  that  the  government  had  not 
complied  with  their  promises  to  induce  the  Indians  to  emi- 
grate, and  finally  refused  to  accept  their  annuity. 

The  most  of  these  troubles  were  only  temporary,  and  in 
1858  the  Indian  agent  reported  that  a  portion  of  the  "  Prairie 
band"  had  commenced  improving  farms  and  sending  their 
children  to  the  schools,  which  were  very  prosperous. 

The  desire  of  the  farmers  to  have  their  farms  set  off  to 
them  in  severalty,  was  carried  into  effect  by  a  treaty,  in 
1861,  and  the  government  caused  a  survey  of  the  reserva- 
tion for  that  purpose,  and  in  September,  1863,  the  agent 
reported  that  "  allotments  had  been  made  to  1,375  persons, 
seven  of  whom  were  chiefs,  drawing  one  section  each; 
seven  head*  men,  each  one-half  section;  and  the  balance, 
eighty  acres  each,  making  in  the  aggregate  about  136,240 
acres."  Many  of  those  farmers  intended  to  become  citizens 
of  the  United  States  under  the  act  of  Congress  for  that 
purpose.  The  uncivilized  portions  of  the  tribe  continued 
to  hold  their  lands  in  common. 

The  census  of  the  tribe  in  June,  1863,  then  numbered  648 
men,  593  women,  and  1,033  children;  total,  2,274.  This 
was  a  large  decrease  since  1854,  part  of  which  was  occa- 
sioned by  deaths,  but  the  greater  part  by  stragglers  to  the 
hunting  regions  of  the  west,  and  to  their  old  homes  in  the 
States.  This  year,  they  raised  3,720  bushels  of  wheat, 
45,000  bushels  of  corn,  1,200  bushels  of  oats,  20  acres  of 
potatoes,  and  had  1,200  horses,  1,000  cattle,  2,000  hogs,  and 
1,000  tons  of  hay. 

The  Catholic  school  averaged,  during  the  year,  ninety- 
five  male  pupils,  under  the  care  of  four  male  teachers  of  the 
"  Society  of  Jesus,"  and  seventy-five  girls  under  the  care  of 
"  four  ladies  of  the  Society  of  the  Sacred  Heart,"  both  under 
20* 


314  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

the  general  supervision  of  Rev.  J.  F.  Diel.  This  school  had 
then  existed  twenty  years,  and  was  conducted  on  the  man- 
ual labor  principle. 

Independent  of  this,  there  was  a  select  school  of  fifteen 
scholars  under  a  female  teacher.  The  Baptist  manual  labor 
school,  being  under  the  patronage  of  the  church  south,  was 
discontinued  early  in  1861,  on  the  breaking  out  of  the  rebel- 
lion, but  was  revived  in  1866  by  other  persons. 

The  population  of  the  Potowatomies  June  1,  1865,  was 
1,874,  being  a  decrease,  since  the  previous  year,  of  404, 
which  the  agent  accounted  for  by  "  forty  going  south,"  and 
"  about  400  going  north.  Of  those  who  went  south,  noth- 
ing certain  is  known.  Of  the  other  party,  a  few  have 
returned,  the  main  body  having  scattered  through  parts  of 
Iowa  and  Wisconsin,  some  having  gone  as  far  as  Michigan." 

That  part  of  the  tribe  which  remained,  cultivated  1,900 
acres,  of  which  1,600  were  put  to  corn,  and  100  to  wheat. 
Their  total  valuation  of  personal  property  in  1865,  was 
estimated  at  $184,200.  The  agent  further  says  that  "a 
large  proportion  of  that  part  of  the  tribe  who  have  received 
lands  in  severally,  are  industriously  engaged  in  opening 
farms  upon  their  allotments,"  and  that  many  of  those  "  are 
already  sufficiently  intelligent  to  be  intrusted  with  the  man- 
agement of  their  own  affairs."  Seventy-one  of  the  young 
Indians  entered  the  Union  army,  being  thereto  advised  by 
the  chiefs. 

The  St.  Mary's  Catholic  mission  school  had  240  scholars 
of  both  sexes,  and  was  in  a  prosperous  condition  in  1865. 

In  1866  this  school  was  still  in  successful  operation,  and 
the  superintendent,  speaking  of  the  pupils,  said :  "  They 
not  only  spell,  read,  write,  and  cypher,  but  they  study  with 
success  the  various  other  branches  of  geography,  history, 
and  book-keeping,  grammar,  algebra,  geometry,  logic,  phi- 
losophy, and  astronomy.  Besides,  they  are  so  docile,  so 
willing  to  improve,  that  between  their  school  hours  they 
employ  themselves,  with  pleasure,  in  learning  whatever 


POTOWATOMIE8.  315 

handiwork  may  be  assigned  to  them,"  and  particularly  "  to 
become  good  farmers."  The  girls,  in  addition  to  their 
studies,  are  "  trained  to  acquire  whatever  may  be  deemed 
useful  to  good  housekeepers  and  accomplished  mothers  of 
families." 

The  tribe,  in  1866,  were  still  troubled  by  white  trespassers 
and  whisky-sellers,  although  the  agent  had  caused  several 
of  them  to  be  indicted  and  punished  every  year.  A  limited 
number  of  farmers  had  become  naturalized  citizens,  and 
others  were  about  making  application  for  citizenship. 

We  close  our  sketches  of  the  Indian  tribes  with  a  table, 
compiled  by  the  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs  in  October, 
1866,  giving  the  superintendencies,  agencies,  names  of 
tribes  and  their  population,  of  all  the  Indians  in  the  United 
States  up  to  that  date. 


316 


UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 


Table  shewing  the  population  of  the  various  Indian  tribes,  by  super- 
tntendencies,  as  corrected  by  the  reports  of  1866. 


SUPERINTENDENCE  AMD 
AGENCY. 


WASHINGTON. 


Tulalip 

Skokomish    

Makah 

Puyallup 

Quinaelt 

Yakama    

Fort  Colville 


Uin.it  ilia 

Warm  Spring  . 
Grande  Ronde  , 

Alsea 

Siletz 

Klamath  ...... 


Round  Valley. .. 
Eoopa  Valley. . 

Smith  River 

Tule  River 

Mission  Indians 


Papagos 

River  Tribes. 


NEVADA. 
Carson  City 


UTAH. 
Fort  Bridger 


Uintah  Valley 


Tulalips,  Lummis,  etc 

Sklallams,  etc 

Makahs,  etc  . , 

Puyallups,  Nisquallies,  etc 

Quinaelts,  Quillehutes,  etc 

Yakamas,  etc 

Spokanes,  Colvilles,  Pend  d'Oreilles,  etc. 


Walla- Wallas,  Cayuses,  and  Umatillas 

Wacoes,  Deschutes,  etc 

Fifteen  tribes  and  bands 

Gooses,  Umpquas,  etc 

Fourteen  tribes  and  bands 

Klamaths,  Modocs,  and  four  bands  of  Snakes. 
Other  Indians 


Pitt  Rivers,  Wylackies,  Ukies,  etc. 

Various  bands 

Humboldt  and  Wylackies 

Owens  River  and  Tule  River 

Various  bands 

Coahuil  las  and  other  tribes 

King  River  and  other  bands 


Papagos  5,000,  Pimas  and  Maricopas,  7,500. 

Yuhmas,  Mohaves,  etc 

Apaches 

Moquis    


Pi-Utes  .... 
Washoes  . . . 
Bannacks  . . 
Shoshonees 


Eastern  Shoshones  and  Bannacks 

North-western  Shoshones 

Western  Shoshones 

Goships  and  Weber  Utes 

Utahs    

Piedes ,. 

Pah-Utes  .: 


19,800 


TABLE. 


317 


SUPEEINTENDENOY  AND 
AGENCY. 

TRIBES. 

Popula- 
tion. 

NEW  MEXICO. 

Navajoes  at  reservation  

6,500 

1,200 

7,010 

850 

Webinoche  Utes  

700 

Cimarron   

Maquache  Utes  

600 
800 

Mescalero  Apache  

Mescalero  Apaches  
Mimbres  Apaches  

550 
200 

2,000 

COLORADO. 

Grand  River  and  Uintah  Utes  

19,901 
2,500 

2,500 

DAKOTA. 

5,000 
2,530 

980 

Upper  Missouri  Sioux  

1.200 

2,100 

Two  Kettles                       

1,200 

Blackfeet  

1,820 

2,220 

1,800 

2,100 

2,400 

1,680 

1,500 

400 

400 

2,640 

IDAHO. 

24,470 
2,830 

2,000 

500 

2,000 

MONTANA. 

7,330 
658 

Upper  Pend  d'Oreilles  

918 

287 

Blackfeet 

2,450 

1,870 

2,150 

1,500 

3,900 

NORTHERN. 

Winnebago    

Winnebagoes  

13,633 

1,750 
997 

Ottoe 

611 

Pawnee  

Pawnees  

2,750 
102 

803 

318 


UPPEE  MISSISSIPPI. 


SUPKRINTENDKNCY  AND 
AGBNCT. 


TRIBES. 


NORTHERN  (continued). 
Upper  Platte 


Santee  Sioux  (Niobrara) . . . 


Brule  and  Ogalallah  Sioux 

Cheyennes 

Arapahoes , 

Santee  Sioux 


Potowatomie . 
Sac  and  Fox. 

Osage  Biver  . 


Potowatomies  

Sacs  and  Foxes  of  Mississippi. 

Chippeways  and  Munsees 

Mia 


Shawnee 

Delaware 

Kansas 

Kickapoo 

Ottawa 

Kinwa  and  Comanche 
Arapahoe,  Cheyenne,  and 
Apache 


Peorias,  Piankeshaws,  Kaskaskias,  and  Weas. 

Shawnees 

Delawares   


Kansas  or  Kaws 

Kickapoos   

Ottawas   

Kiowas  and  Comancheg 

Arapahoes,  Cheyennes,  and  Apaches 


SOUTHERN. 


Creek 

Cherokee   

Choctaw  and  Chickasaw. 


Seminole 
Neosho  . . 


Creeks 

Cherokeea 

Choctaws 

Chickasaws 

Seminoles 


Wichitas 


Osagea 

Quapawa' 

Senecas  and  Shawnees. 

Senecas 

Wichitas    


Keechies 

Wacoes 

Tawacairoes 

Caddoes  and  lonies  . 

Shawnees. 

Delawares   

Other  Indians 


INDEPENDENT  AGENCIES. 

Green  Bay  .  


Stockbridges  and  Munsees. 

Oneidas 

Menominies 


Chippeways  of  Mississippi . 


Chippeways  of  LTce  Superior 


Mississippi  bands 

Pillager  and  Winnebagoshish  bands. 

Red  Lake  bands  

Pembina  bands 


Various  bands , 


TABLE. 


319 


SCPERINTENDBNCY  AND 
AGENCY. 

TRIBES. 

Popula- 
tion. 

INDEPENDENT  AGENCIES 

(continued). 

700 

cousin  | 
Mackinac  

Potowatomies  

650 
1,850 
1  058 

5  207 

1  562 

Chippeways,  Ottawas,  and  Potowatomies    

232 

Potowatomies  of  Huron    

46 

New  York  

8,105 
1  386 

150 

Onondagas  with  Senecas  

138 

845 

529 

360 

184 

96 

Onondagas  

325 

4,013 

Total  

295  774 

CHAPTER  XV. 

THE    STATES   OP    OHIO,    INDIANA,    ILLINOIS,    AND   MICHIGAN. 

OHIO. 

THIS  word,  in  French  orthography,  is  the  Iroquois  name  of 
the  Allegheny  and  Ohio  rivers,  and  the  French  used  as  an 
equivalent  word,  "  la  belle,"  or  the  beautiful."  According 
to  French  and  Iroquois  pronounciation,  the  i  has  the  sound 
of  e  long.  The  word  does  not  include  "  river,"  and  might 
have  been  Oheao,  or  duck,  in  the  Cayuga  dialect,  and  thus 
originally  been  called  by  that  band,  Oheao  kihade,  or  Duck 
river. 

The  name  of  the  first  white  man  who  discovered  the 
State  of  Ohio  is  not  known,  but  it  was  probably  the  Jesuit 
missionary  who,  it  is  said,  visited  the  Eries,  or  neutral 
nation,  from  Lake  Huron,  in  1616.  La  Salle  sailed  along 
its  shore  m  1679;  a  party  of  English  visited  Detroit  in 
1686,  and  Captain  De  Vincennes,  of  Canada,  was  ordered 
to  establish  a  military  post  among  the  Miamies  in  1697,  and 
passed  up  the  Maumee  river. 

After  the  establishment  of  a  military  post  at  Detroit  in 
1701,  trading  posts  are  often  mentioned  by  French  docu- 
ments at  Maumee  and  Sandusky ;  and  "  Sandusky,"  and 
"Miamies  on  Maumee,"  are  enumerated  in  an  English 
pamphlet,  printed  in  1755,  as  old  French  military  posts. 
They  were  surrendered  to  the  English  in  the  transfer  of 
Canada.  The  fort  at  Sandusky  was  captured  by  Pontiac, 
May  16th,  1763;  but  was  returned  to  the  English  after  the 


OHIO.  323 

close  of  that  war.  The  French  also,  in  1755,  had  a  trading 
post  at  the  mouth  of  the  Sciota,  according  to  the  London 
pamphlet,  which  was  spoken  of  also  in  Post's  journal.  In 
April,  1794,  the  British  built  a  fort  at  Maumee  rapids,  and 
General  Wayne,  in  August  of  the  same  year,  built  Fort 
Defiance  at  Grand  Glaize. 

After  the  close  of  the  war  of  the  revolution,  the  United 
States  took  military  possession  of  the  Ohio  valley ;  and  in 
1785  Major  Doughty  built  Fort  Harmer,  at  Marietta,  and 
Major  Finny,  the  same  year,  built  Fort  Finny,  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Miami  river. 

The  primitive  soil  of  Connecticut  affording  but  poor  en- 
couragement to  their  agriculturalists,  a  plan  was  originated 
there  in  March,  1786,  to  plant  a  colony  on  the  rich  banks  of 
the  Ohio,  and  a  subscription  was  begun  to  raise  funds  to 
purchase  a  large  tract  of  land  for  a  New  England  colony. 
The  subscribers  to  this  fund  met  March  8th,  1787,  and 
elected  General  Parsons,  General  Rufus  Putnam,  and  Rev. 
Manasseh  Cutler,  as  directors  of  the  colony,  which  they 
called  the  Ohio  Company.  On  the  5th  of  July  following, 
Dr.  Cutler  was  sent  to  New  York  to  negotiate  with  Con- 
gress, then  in  session,  for  the  purchase  of  a  tract  of  land  on 
the  Ohio,  for  the  settlement.  After  a  large  number  of 
"  mano3uvres,"  in  the  classic  language  of  the  Puritan  divine, 
but  in  the  more  descriptive  language  of  the  west,  "  of  log 
rolling  and  bribery,"  a  favorable  contract  was  made,  July 
27th,  and  a  plan  was  arranged  for  the  political  organization 
of  the  north-west.  This  happy  result  was  chronicled  in 
the  Rev.  Doctor's  journal  as  follows :  "  By  this  ordinance 
we  obtained  the  grant  of  near  5,000,000  acres  of  land, 
amounting  $3,500,000;  1,500,000  acres  for  the  Ohio  Com- 
pany, and  the  remainder  for  a  private  speculation,  in  which 
many  of  the  principal  characters  of  America  are  concerned. 
Without  connecting  this  speculation,  similar  terms  and 
advantages  could  not  have  been  obtained  for  the  Ohio 
Company."  With  this  ordinance,  Dr.  Cutler  closed  his 
21 


824  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

contract  with  the  Board  of  Treasury,  October  27th,  1788. 
By  referring  to  dates,  it  will  be  observed  that,  July  1 3th, 
1787,  the  "  Ordinance  for  the  government  of  the  Territory 
of  the  United  States  north-west  of  the  River  Ohio"  was 
passed  by  Congress ;  and  as  Dr.  Cutler  had  the  names  of 
all  the  officers  of  the  new  territory  "  in  his  hat,"  he,  July 
23rd,  found  himself  in  a  tight  place ;  and  here  again,  in  his 
journal,  he  tells  how  he  escaped  this  crisis  in  his  affairs : 
"  Having  found  it  impossible  to  support  General  Parsons  as 
a  candidate  for  governor,  after  the  interest  that  General 
Arthur  St.  Clair  had  secured,  I  embraced  this  opportunity 
to  declare,  that  if  General  Parsons  could  have  the  appoint- 
ment of  first  judge,  and  Sargent  secretary,  we  should  be 
satisfied ;  and  that  I  heartily  wished  his  excellency  General 
St.  Clair  might  be  the  governor ;  and  that  I  would  solicit 
the  eastern  members  in  his  favor.  This  I  found  rather 
pleasing  to  southern  members."  Among  the  arguments 
which  he  tells  us  in  his  journal  he  urged  with  effect,  were 
the  following :  "  The  uneasiness  of  the  Kentucky  people 
with  respect  to  the  Mississippi  was  notorious.  A  revolt  of 
that  country  from  the  Union,  if  a  war  with  Spain  took  place, 
was  universally  acknowledged  to  be  highly  probable ;  and 
most  certainly  a  systematic  settlement  in  that  country,  con- 
ducted by  men  thoroughly  attached  to  the  federal  govern- 
ment, and  composed  of  young,  robust,  and  hardy  laborers, 
who  had  no  idea  of  any  other  than  the  Federal  government, 
I  conceived  to  be  an  object  worthy  of  some  attention." 

The  tract  of  land  which  was  thus  secured  was  located  on 
the  north  side  of  the  Ohio,  and  extending  from  the  Sciota 
river  east,  to  the  seventh  range  of  townships ;  but  as  poli- 
ticians did  not  meet  their  part  of  the  engagement  when 
money  was  required,  and  even  the  Ohio  Company  got  short 
of  funds,  the  tract  was  cut  down  in  1792  so  as  to  only 
include  the  country  between  the  seventh  and  tenth  ranges 
of  townships,  and  extending  from  the  Ohio  river  north  so  as 
to  include  750,000  acres,  besides  reservations.  For  this  tract 


OHIO.  325 

the  Ohio  Company  was  to  pay  one  dollar  per  acre,  deduct- 
ing one-third  of  the  whole  tract  for  waste  land. 

Pursuant  to  this  plan  for  a  colony,  General  Rufus  Putnam, 
as  superintendent,  set  out  with  forty-seven  emigrants,  soon 
after  the  1st  of  January,  1788,  and  reached  the  site  of 
Marietta  April  7th  of  that  year,  having  traveled  by  way  of 
Cumberland,  Maryland. 

Governor  St.  Clair  received  his  appointment  as  governor 
October  5th,  1787,  and  reached  Marietta  July  9th  of  the 
following  year ;  and  on  the  27th  of  July,  by  proclamation, 
organized  the  new  county  of  Washington.  The  second 
county,  Hamilton,  including  the  new  settlement  at  Cincin- 
nati, was  not  organized  until  January  2nd,  1790.  Cincinnati 
was  made  a  town  January  2nd,  1802,  and  a  city  by  charter 
in  1819.  Notwithstanding  the  Indian  war,  settlers  continued 
to  flock  to  the  north  side  of  the  Ohio,  of  which  many  came 
from  Kentucky;  and  in  1800,  Congress  set  off  the  Indian 
territory. 

By  an  Act  of  Congress,  passed  April  30th,  1802,  Ohio 
was  permitted  to  call  a  convention  to  form  a  State  constitu- 
tion. The  constitution  was  adopted,  in  convention,  Novem- 
ber 29th,  1802,  and  Ohio  became  a  member  of  the  Union 
February  19th  of  the  following  year. 

By  the  census  of  1800,  Ohio  was  found  to  contain  45,365 
inhabitants.  From  this  time  the  increase  was  rapid,  and  it 
contained,  in  1810,  230,760;  1820,  581,295;  1830,  937,903; 
1840,  1,519,467;  1850,  1,980,329;  and  in  1860,  2,339,502. 
From  a  comparison  with  the  population  of  other  States,  it 
appears  that  Ohio  became  the  third  State  in  the  Union  in 
1840,  in  population,  which  position  it  held  in  1860,  New 
York  and  Pennsylvania  only  exceeding  it. 

For  educational  purposes,  Congress  has  donated  to  the 
State  675,094  acres  for  public  schools,  and  24,320  acres  for 
colleges.  In  1863,  the  permanent  school  fund  amounted  to 
$2,879,379,  yielding  an  annual  interest  of  $173,712.  In 


326  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

addition  to  this,  there  was  raised  by  State  taxes  for  school 
purposes,  $1,155,221 ;  and  by  local  taxes,  $1,021,012. 

In  1857,  838,037  children  between  the  ages  of  five  and 
twenty-one  were  enumerated,  of  which  the  average  daily 
attendance  at  school  was  350,867.  In  1862,  the  enumera- 
tion was  920,820;  and  average  daily  attendance  at  school, 
433,343. 

In  1862  there  were  common  schools,  14,728;  high 
schools,  144;  German  and  English  schools,  108;  and 
colored  schools,  172;  total,  15,152.  The  same  year  there 
were  employed  10,459  male,  and  10,931  female  teachers; 
total,  21,390. 

Ohio  has  also  the  following  State  institutions ;  four  Insane 
Asylums,  a  Reform  School,  Institution  for  the  Education 
of  the  Blind,  Institution  for  Deaf  and  Dumb,  Asylum  for 
Idiotic  and  Imbecile  Youth,  and  State  Penitentiary. 

In  November,  1863,  Ohio  had  twenty-four  colleges  and 
universities,  which  belonged  as  follows :  three  to  the  State, 
one  to  the  Presbyterians,  new  school,  one  to  the  Presbyte- 
rians, old  school,  two  to  Presbyterians  and  Congregational- 
ists,  one  to  the  Episcopalians,  one  to  the  Baptists,  one  to 
the  Congregationalists,  three  to  the  Catholics,  four  to  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  two  to  Methodists,  two  to 
Evangelical  Lutherans,  one  New  Jerusalem  church,  one, 
Christian,  and  one  United  Brethren  in  Christ.  The  aggre- 
gate number  of  students  in  all  the  institutions,  was  about 
3,300. 

The  newspaper,  according  to  modern  civilization,  travels 
with  the  emigrant ;  hence  we  find,  as  early  as  July  29,  1786, 
the  "  Pittsburg  Gazette,"  christened  as  the  first  child  in  that 
family  in  the  upper  Mississippi  valley.  With  no  violation 
of  the  course  of  nature,  the  second  child  in  that  family  was 
christened  the  "  Kentucky  Gazette,"  at  Lexington,  in  August, 
1789  ;  while  "  The  Sentinel  of  the  North-western  Territory," 
at  Cincinnati,  November  9,  1793,  which  was  changed  to 
"Freeman's  Journal"  in  1796;  and  the  "Western  Spy  and 


INDIANA.  327 

Hamilton  Gazette,"  also  at  Cincinnati,  of  May  28,  1799;  all 
succeeding  each  other  in  the  period  of  nearly  three  years  ; 
these  certainly  established  their  right  to  the  name  of  "  peri- 
odical literature." 

This  good  name  must  not  have  been  lost,  for  in  Ohio 
alone,  in  1810,  we  find  there  were  fourteen  weekly  papers; 
while  in  1828  the  number  had  increased  to  sixty-six. 

The  census  of  1840  gave  them  9  daily,  107  weekly,  7 
semi-weekly  papers,  and  20  periodicals ;  total,  143.  In 
1850,  Ohio  had  26  dailies,  with  the  annual  circulation  of 
14,285,633;  10  tri-weeklies,  with  a  circulation  of  1,047,930; 
201  weeklies,  with  a  circulation  of  13,334,204.  They 
had  also  23  semi-monthly,  with  an  annual  circulation  of 
1,781,640;  1  monthly,  with  circulation  of  24,000;  total,  261. 
Total  number  of  copies  printed  annually,  30,473,407. 

In  1860  the  census  report  shows:  Political,  22  daily,  4 
bi-weekly,  8  tri-weekly,  219  weekly,  and  3  monthly;  total, 
256.  Religious,  27  weekly,  8  monthly,  2  annually;  total,  37  ; 
Literary,  1  daily,  6  weekly,  17  monthly;  total,  24.  Miscel- 
laneous, 1  daily,  8  weekly,  13  monthly,  1  annual;  total,  23. 

The  total  number  of  copies  circulated  annually,  was 
71,767,742. 

INDIANA. 

The  Rev.  Father  James  Marquette,  and  his  party,  were 
probably  the  first  white  persons  who  visited  any  part  of  the 
territory  of  Indiana. 

Returning  from  the  newly-established  mission  of  "  the 
Immaculate  Conception,"  among  the  Kaskaskias,  Father 
Marquette  passed  up  the  Kankakee,  across  the  portage,  and 
down  the  St.  Joseph's  river  to  Lake  Michigan,  about  the 
first  of  May,  1675;  but  died  on  the  17th  day  of  the  same 
month,  before  he  reached  Mackinaw,  of  chronic  diarrhoaa,  a 
disease  he  contracted  two  years  previous,  while  exploring 
the  Mississippi. 

The  second  party  of  white  persons  who  visited  Indiana, 


328  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

was  that  of  La  Salle,  which  passed  down  the  Kankakee 
river  in  December,  1679,  on  their  way  to  explore  the  Missis- 
sippi. 

In  1697,  Captain  De  Vincennes  was  ordered  by  the 
Governor  of  Canada,  with  a  small  military  force,  to  the 
Miamies  on  the  Wabash,  who  established  post  Vincennes. 
He  was  popular  among  the  Miamies,  and  remained  the  most 
of  the  time  until  his  death  there  in  1719.  His  post  was 
called  Fort  Vincennes  after  1720,  and  was  continued  a 
trading-post  as  long  as  the  Indians  remained  in  the  country. 

By  the  act  of  Congress  of  July  13,  1787,  Indiana  was 
included  in  the  territory  north-west  of  the  Ohio,  but  was 
made  a  separate  territory  May  7,  1800.  In  April,  1816, 
Congress  passed  an  act  authorizing  Indiana  to  form  a  State 
government.  On  the  29th  of  June,  of  the  same  year,  the 
people  adopted  a  State  constitution,  and  December  11, 1816, 
the  State  of  Indiana  was  admitted  into  the  Union  of  States. 

While  Indiana  was  an  Indian  territory,  Congress,  by  an 
act  approved  March  26,  1804,  established  three  land  offices 
in  the  territory :  one  at  Detroit,  one  at  Vincennes,  and  one 
at  Kaskaskia. 

For  the  disposal  of  the  lands  along  the  Ohio  river,  between 
Vincennes  and  Cincinnati  districts,  a  new  land  office  was 
established  at  Jeffersonville  by  the  act  of  the  3rd  of  March, 
1807.  By  the  act  of  the  3rd  of  March,  1819,  additional  land 
offices  were  established  at  Brookville  and  Terre  Haute ;  and 
by  the  act  of  May  8,  1822,  an  additional  office  was  estab- 
lished at  Fort  Wayne.  By  the  act  of  March  2, 1833,  another 
land  office  was  established  at  La  Porte,  which  in  December, 
1839,  was  removed  to  Winamac. 

By  the  act  of  1816,  authorizing  Indiana  to  form  a  consti- 
tution for  a  State  government,  Congress  gave  the  new  State 
the  sixteenth  section  in  each  township  for  schools ;  all  the 
salt  springs,  including  the  lands  not  exceeding  thirty-six 
sections ;  five  per  cent,  of  the  net  proceeds  of  the  sales  of 
the  public  lands  lying  in  said  State ;  two  townships  of  land 


INDIANA.  329 

for  a  seminary  of  learning ;  and  four  sections  of  land  as  a 
site  for  the  seat  of  government. 

By  the  census  of  1840,  Indiana  was  reported  as  then 
having  1,521  primary  schools,  with  48,189  scholars;  54 
academies,  with  2,946  scholars ;  and  4  colleges  and  univer- 
sities, with  322  students.  In  1850  the  school  fund  was 
estimated  at  $3,628,215.  There  were,  in  1851, 5,899  schools, 
and  225,318  scholars.  In  1850,  Indiana  was  reported  by 
the  census  as  having  4  colleges,  with  295  students;  1  theo- 
logical school,  with  15  students;  2  medical  schools,  with  154 
students;  and  2  law  schools,  with  18  students. 

In  1862,  the  common  school  fund  was  estimated  at  the 
value  of  $4,991,202.  The  wThole  number  of  children  between 
five  and  twenty-one  years,  was  528,583;  school  districts, 
7,921 ;  number  of  schools  taught,  5,995  ;  number  of  high 
schools,  103;  number  of  pupils  attending  primary  schools, 
273,450  ;  number  attending  high  schools,  7,318;  number  of 
private  schools,  1,932  ;  number  of  pupils  attending  private 
schools,  39,658. 

The  Hospital  for  the  Blind,  Institution  for  the  Educa- 
tion of  the  Deaf  and  Dumb,  and  the  Hospital  for  the 
Insane,  all  at  Indianapolis,  are  flourishing  institutions. 
In  1863,  Indiana  had  thirteen  colleges  and  universities, 
which  belonged  as  follows :  One  to  the  State,  two  to  the 
Presbyterians,  four  to  the  Methodists,  two  to  the  Baptists, 
one  to  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ,  one  to  the  Evangelical 
Lutherans,  one  to  the  Catholics,  and  one  to  the  Christians, 
with  an  aggregate  of  1,810  students.  The  Catholics  and 
Lutherans  had  each  a  Theological  School. 

The  population  of  1800,  which  included  Detroit,  Kas- 
kaskia,  Prairie  Du  Chien,  Green  Bay  and  Mackinaw,  and 
all  the  Indian  territory,  was  enumerated  in  the  census  at 
4,875.  The  census  of  1810  gave  a  population  of  24,520  for 
Indiana,  without  including  Illinois  or  Michigan,  as  those 
regions  had  previously  been  set  into  new  territories.  In 
21* 


330  UPPEK  MISSISSIPPI. 

1820  there  were  147,178;  1830,  343,031;  1840,  685,866; 
1850,  988,416  ;  and  1860,  1,350,428. 

In  1810,  Indiana  had  one  weekly  newspaper,  which  circu- 
lated during  the  year  15,600  copies.  In  1828,  the  number 
had  increased  to  17.  By  the  census  of  1840,  there  were  4 
semi-weekly,  69  weekly,  and  3  periodical  papers. 

The  census  of  1850  shows  that  the  number  had  increased 
to  9  daily,  2  tri-weekly,  95  weekly,  and  1  semi-monthly ; 
total,  107,  with  a  total  annual  circulation  of  4,316,828 
copies.  These  papers  were  classified  as  21  literary,  84 
political,  and  2  religious. 

In  1860,  Indiana  had  the  following  papers  :  Political, 
13  daily,  5  bi-weekly,  154  weekly;  total,  172.  Religious,  3 
weekly,  and  3  monthly ;  total,  6.  Literary,  3  weekly,  2 
monthly ;  total,  5.  Miscellaneous,  3  monthly.  The  aggre- 
gate circulation  of  these  papers,  per  annum,  was  10,090,310. 


We  have  seen  that  Sieur  Joliette,  with  Marquette,  were 
the  first  to  explore  Illinois,  by  passing  down  the  Mississippi 
in  June,  1673,  and  returning  north  by  the  Illinois  river  and 
Lake  Michigan. 

Agreeably  to  a  promise  made  to  the  Kaskaskia  Indians, 
Marquette  started  from  Green  Bay,  October  25,  1674,  to 
return  and  establish  a  mission  amongst  them,  but  was 
detained  by  sickness  during  the  winter  at  Chicago,  and  only 
succeeded  in  reaching  the  Kaskaskias,  on  the  Illinois  river, 
April  8,  1675.  Here  his  stay  was  short,  as  he  continued  to 
grow  weaker ;  and  he  died  on  his  way  to  Mackinaw,  May 
17th,  of  the  same  year. 

The  Rev.  Father  Allouez,  the  honored  founder  of  the 
Wisconsin  missions,  left  Green  Bay  in  October,  1676,  to 
renew  the  mission  at  Illinois,  but  winter  setting  in  earlier 
than  expected,  he  only  reached  the  Kaskaskias  April  27,  of 
the  following  year. 

Here  he  found  congregated  eight  tribes,  of  whom  he 


ILLINOIS.  331 

baptized  thirty-five  children  and  a  sick  adult.  He  continued 
in  charge  of  this  mission  until  near  the  time  of  the  arrival 
of  La  Salle,  when  he  retired  to  Green  Bay,  fearing  the  hos- 
tility of  La  Salle  to  the  Jesuits.  La  Salle  and.  his  party 
descended  the  Kankakee  river  from  St.  Joseph's,  and 
reached,  the  site  of  the  Indian  village  on  the  Illinois  at  the 
"Rock,"  near  the  close  of  December,  1679;  but  as  the 
Indians  were  further  down  the  river,  he,  January  1,  pushed 
on,  and  on  the  4th  day  of  that  month,  found  the  tribe  at  the 
head  of  Pimiteoui,  "or  lake  of  plenty  of  fat  beasts,"  since 
called  Lake  Peoria,  where  he  built  Fort  Crevecceur,  or 
"  heart-breaking,"  so  named  on  account  of  their  many  dis- 
appointments. 

Rev.  Father  St.  Cosme,  who  passed  down  the  Illinois 
river  in  1699,  spoke  of  an  "old  fort,"  built  by  La  Salle,  at 
the  upper  village  of  the  Indians,  on  a  "  rock  which  is  on  the 
bank  of  the  river,  about  a  hundred  feet  high,"  which  La 
Salle  "  abandoned."  If  so,  La  Salle  might  have  built  a 
temporary  fort  during  the  few  days  that  he-  remained  at  the 
deserted  Indian  village,  but  there  is  no  mention  of  it  by  his 
historian. 

Fort  Cr^vecceur  was  made  the  head-quarters  of  the 
French  missions  for  many  years.  About  1700  the  Kaskas- 
kias  removed  down,  and  settled  at  the  mouth  of  Kaskaskia 
river,  with  their  missionaries,  leaving  the  Peorias  at  the 
lake.  About  1722,  the  Peorias  and  other  bands,  at  the  Rock 
and  Peoria  lake,  being  pressed  hard  in  their  wars  with  the 
Foxes  and  their  allies,  also  settled  on  the  Mississippi  near 
the  Kaskaskias.  The  congregating  of  so  many  Indians 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Kaskaskia  river,  induced  the  French 
to  build  a  strong  fort  a  few  miles  above  the  mouth  of  that 
river,  in  1720,  which  they  called  Fort  Chartres.  This  fort 
was  strongly  built  of  stone  masonry.  In  the  article  for  its 
surrender  in  1765,  it  was  described  as  eighteen  feet  high, 
and  334^  toises  in  circumference.  The  south  side,  fronting 
the  Mississippi,  was  80^  toises.  The  fort  was  pierced  with 


332  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

204  loop-holes.  Besides  the  fort,  there  were  the  guard- 
house, government  house,  intendant's  house,  barracks, 
powder-house,  bake-house,  prison,  and  store,  all  built  with 
Btone,  with  "  windows  in  cut  stone,  with  shutters,  <  iron- 
work," etc. 

Fort  Chartres  was  the  center  of  French  power  and  mis- 
sionary labors  on  the  upper  Mississippi,  until  the  surrender 
of  Canada  to  the  English  in  1760.  The  fort  was  finally 
surrendered  to  the  English,  October  10,  1765,  and  it  was 
held  by  them  until  it  was  partly  undermined  by  the  river 
about  1771,  and  abandoned  by  the  English.  The  English 
had  another  fort  above  Kaskaskia,  which  Colonel  Clark 
captured  July  4,  1778;  after  which  the  French  settlements 
at  Kaskaskia  and  Cahokia,  near  the  Mississippi,  became  a 
part  of  Virginia,  and  that  State,  in  October  of  the  same 
year,  organized  the  country  north-west  of  the  Ohio  into  the 
county  of  Illinois.  Thus  continued  the  political  affairs  of  the 
north-west,  until  the  passage  of  "An  ordinance  for  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  territory  of  the  United  States  north-west  of 
the  river  Ohio,"  July  13,  1787.  May  7,  1800,  Illinois  was 
included  with  Indiana,  and  the  territory  north,  in  the 
"Indian  Territory."  In  1809,  Illinois  was  made  a  separate 
territory,  and  August  26,  1818,  formed  a  constitution,  and 
December  3rd,  of  the  same  year,  was  admitted  into  the 
Union  by  a  special  act  of  Congress. 

After  the  close  of  the  revolutionary  war,  American  emi- 
grants occasionally  passed  the  Ohio  to  the  Indian  territory, 
and  in  1810  Illinois  numbered  12,282,  including  the  old 
French  villages.  In  1820  they  had  increased  to  55,162, 
including  917  slaves.  In  1830,  157,445;  1840,  476,183; 
1850,  851,470;  1860,  1,711,951.  The  first  American  settlers 
were  mainly  from  the  slave-holding  States,  and  many 
brought  with  them  their  negro  slaves,  notwithstanding  the 
prohibition  in  the  ordinance  of  1787.  These  slaves  num- 
bered 331  in  the  census  of  1840,  but  disappear  before  that 
of  1850.  These  settlers  generally  remained  in  the  south 


ILLINOIS.  335 

part  of  the  State.  After  the  Black  Hawk  war  in  1832, 
emigration  commenced  entering  the  State  by  way  of  the 
lakes,  and  in  1837  the  great  tide  was  setting  in  heavily,  and 
soon  overspread  the  great  prairies  of  the  north. 

By  the  act  authorizing  Illinois  to  form  a  State  constitu- 
tion, Congress  donated  to  the  State,  for  school  purposes,  the 
sixteenth  section  in  each  township,  and  three  per  cent,  of 
the  net  proceeds  of  the  sales  of  the  public  lands  in  the  State 
after  1819;  and  for  a  seminary  of  learning,  two  entire  town- 
ships, or  seventy-two  sections  of  land.  In  1850,  the  perma- 
nent school  fund  amounted  to  $790,120  ;  the  Seminary  fund, 
$58,788  ;  and  the  State  University  fund,  $90,889.  Illinois 
has  an  excellent  system  for  public  education.  In  addition 
to  her  public  State  institutions,  individual  enterprise  and 
benevolence  have  given  her  several  excellent  academies  and 
colleges. 

In  1862,  there  were  in  Illinois,  9,811  public  schools,  and 
516,037  scholars  attending  those  schools;  720  private 
schools,  and  22,577  scholars.  In  1864,  Illinois  had  fifteen 
colleges  and  universities,  three  of  which  belonged  to  the 
State,  four  to  the  Methodists,  two  to  the  Baptists,  one  to  the 
Presbyterians,  new  school,  one  to  the  Catholics,  one  to  the 
United  Presbyterians,  one  to  the  Presbyterians  and  Congre- 
gationalists,  one  to  the  Evangelical  Lutherans,  and  one  to 
the  Universalists.  These,  in  the  aggregate,  had  2,203 
students.  One  of  the  most  prosperous  of  these  institutions 
is  the  University  of  Chicago,  founded  by  the  late  Senator 
S.  A.  Douglas,  in  1855,  and  now  belonging  to  the  Baptist 
denomination. 

In  1862,  the  entire  educational  funds  belonging  to  the 
State  were  $4,973,842,  the  interest  of  which,  with  the  annual 
taxes  levied,  are  expended  for  the  different  educational 
institutions  belonging  to  the  State. 

Newspapers  were  not  a  very  early  institution  in  Illinois, 
as  there  were  none  in  1810,  and  but  four  weekly  papers  in 
1828.  In  1840,  there  were  three  dailies,  two  semi-weeklies, 


336  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

thirty-eight  weeklies,  and  nine  called  "  periodicals."  In 
1850,  the  number  had  increased  to  eight  daily,  four  tri- 
weekly, eighty-four  weekly,  three  semi-monthly,  seven 
monthly,  and  one  quarterly,  with  an  aggregate  circulation 
of  5,102,2-76  per  annum.  In  1860,  the  census  showed, 
political  papers  :  twenty-three  daily,  one  bi-weekly,  six  tri- 
weekly, two  hundred  and  twenty-eight  weekly,  and  one 
monthly.  Of  religious  papers,  there  were  five  weekly  and 
six  monthly.  Literary,  three  weekly  and  five  monthly ;  and 
miscellaneous,  one  bi-weekly,  two  weekly,  and  five  monthly, 
with  an  aggregate  circulation  per  annum  of  27,464,764. 

MICHIGAN. 

The  name  of  this  State  is  abbreviated  from  two  Chippeway 
words,  Michau,  or  Misho,  great,  and  Sakiegan,  a  lake,  and 
literally  means  the  great  lake.  The  territory  of  this  State 
was  probably  first  visited  by  Sir  Jean  Nicolet,  the  Canadian 
interpreter,  who  appears  to  have  visited  the  Winnebagoes 
at  Green  Bay  in  1639.  Rev.  Fathers  Joques  and  Raymbaut, 
Jesuit  missionaries,  next  appear  to  have  passed  along  the 
north  shore  of  lake  Huron,  and  visited  the  falls  of  St.  Mary 
in  1641,  where  Rev.  Fathers  Dablon  and  Marquette  estab- 
lished a  missionary  station  in  1669,  which  must  be  regarded 
as  the  first  permanent  settlement  of  the  State  ;  leaving  Wis- 
consin as  the  older  State  in  point  of  settlement  by  four 
years.  Mackinaw  was  made  a  missionary  station  by  Mar- 
quette, in  1671,  and  the  Canadian  government  raised  it  to  a 
military  post  in  1688,  and  built  a  fort.  In  the  mean  time 
the  Detroit,  or  straits  between  Lakes  Huron  and  Erie,  had 
been  explored  by  Indian  traders ;  and  La  Salle  sailed  from 
Niagara  to  Green  Bay  in  the  "  Griffin,"  in  1679;  and  in 
1687  the  Canadian  government  built  Fort  St.  Joseph,  or  De 
Lut,  at  the  foot  of  Lake  Huron,  in  Michigan ;  La  Durantaye, 
in  the  name  of  the  French  king,  having  taken  formal  pos- 
session of  all  the  east  coast  of  the  State  June  7th  of  the 
same  year. 


MICHIGAN.  337 

La  Salle,  in  November,  1679,  built  Fort  La  Salle,  at  the 
mouth  of  a  river  in  the  south-western  part  of  the  State, 
which  was  afterwards  changed,  probably  by  Allouez,  the 
missionary  at  that  point,  to  St.  Joseph's. 

Fort  Pontchartrain  was  built  by  the  Canadian  govern- 
ment in  1701,  at  the  present  site  of  the  city  of  Detroit, 
which  laid  the  foundation  of  that  enterprising  city  of  the 
west.  This  point  thus  became  the  head  quarters  of  the 
Indian  trade  in  Michigan,  Ohio,  and  Indiana,  and  for  many 
years  following.  Its  history  has  been  given  in  the  Indian 
wars  in  previous  chapters. 

By  an  Act  of  Congress,  approved  January  llth,  1805,  all 
that  part  of  the  then  .Indian  territory  lying  north  of  a  line 
running  east  from  the  southern  extremity  of  Lake  Michigan, 
was  organized  with  a  territorial  government  under  the  name 
of  "Michigan  Territory."  By  an  Act  in  1818,  the  present 
territory  of  Wisconsin  was  attached  to  Michigan,  and 
remained  so  attached  until  1836,  when  it  was  also  organized 
into  a  territorial  government. 

Without  any  enabling  Act  of  Congress,  the  territory  of 
Michigan  held  a  convention  and  formed  a  State  constitution, 
but  its  admission  was  long  opposed  in  Congress ;  and  they 
were  finally  compelled  to  surrender  a  part  of  their  territory 
on  the  south,  and  in  lieu  thereof  take  the  upper  or  Lake 
Superior  peninsula ;  and  after  so  amending  their  constitu- 
tion, they  were  admitted  as  a  State  by  an  Act  of  Congress, 
approved  January  26th,  1837. 

.The  new  State  received  from  Congress  the  grant  of 
seventy-two  sections,  or  square  miles  of  land,  as  an  endow- 
ment of  a  university ;  the  sixteenth  section  in  each  six  miles 
square  for  the  support  of  common  schools. 

In  1850  Michigan  had  3,097  common  schools,  and  132,233 
children  between  the  ages  of  four  and  eighteen  which 
attended  school  during  the  year.  Besides  these,  there  were 
2,056  under  four,  and  8,346  over  eighteen,  which  attended 
school.  The  public  money,  or  interest  of  the  school  fund, 
22 


338  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

that  year  distributed  was  $42,794.44  ;  in  addition  to  which, 
there  were  raised  by  tax  to  pay  teachers,  $81,392.44.  To 
this,  if  we  add  funds  raised  to  build  school-houses,  library 
funds,  etc.,  we  have  a  total  paid  out  for  schools  during  the 
year  of  $194,330.78. 

In  1855  the  number  of  scholars  attending  school  were 
142,307  ;  and  the  number  of  teachers,  1,600  male,  and  3,474 
female.  In  1860,  the  total  number  of  scholars  over  four 
and  under  eighteen  years  of  age  were  240,684  ;  number  of 
scholars  attending  school,  192,937;  number  of  teachers 
2,599  male,  and  5,344  female. 

In  1862  the  whole  number  of  children  over  five  and  under 
twenty  years  of  age  were  261,323;  number  attending 
school,  207,332,  with  2,380  male  teachers  and  5,958  female. 

The  State  Normal  School,  at  Ypsilanti,  was  opened  for 
students  in  April,  1853,  and  in  1862  had  407  students  in  the 
normal  department,  and  86  in  the  model  school.  Students 
pledge  themselves  to  teach  in  the  State  schools  after  they 
graduate. 

The  University  of  Michigan,  at  Ann  Arbor,  was  opened 
in  1837,  and  their  endowment  funds  from  the  seventy-two 
sections  granted  by  Congress  amounted  in  1862  to  $525,000, 
from  the  interest  of  which  the  University  is  mainly  sup- 
ported. A  medical  department  was  added  in  1850,  and  a 
law  department  in  1859.  It  has  also  a  fine  astronomical 
department.  In  1862  the  University  had,  in  the  depart- 
ment of  literature,  270  students ;  department  of  medicine, 
216;  and  department  of  law,  129. 

In  1857  Michigan  founded  a  "  State  Agricultural  Col- 
lege," at  Lansing,  and  has  now  assigned  to  it  the  land 
granted  by  Congress  to  agricultural  colleges.  It  has  a  farm 
of  seven  hundred  acres,  together  with  a  fine  laboratory, 
library,  museum,  etc.  Students  are  required  to  labor  on 
the  farm  three  hours  daily. 

Besides  these,  there  are  the  "  State  Reform  School,"  at 
Lansing ;  the  "  Michigan  Asylum  for  the  Deaf  and  Dumb 


MICHIGAN.  339 

and  Blind,"  at  Flint ;  the  "  Asylum  for  the  Insane,"  at 
Kalamazoo ;  and  State  Prison,  at  Jackson.  All  these  insti- 
tutions are  doing  a  good  work  in  their  several  departments 
of  education  and  discipline.  In  addition  to  these  State 
institutions,  there  are  many  private  schools  and  academies, 
supported  by  private  benevolence,  and  three  colleges,  viz. : 
Kalamazoo  College,  founded  in  1833  by  the  Baptists;  Hills- 
dale  College,  founded  in  1853  by  the  Freewill  Baptists;  and 
the  Albion  College,  founded  in  1862  by  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church,  having  for  several  years  previous  been  an 
academy.  All  these  are  owned  by  the  denominations 
founding  them. 

The  population  of  Michigan  has  been  steadily  progressive. 
There  were,  in  1810,  4,762;  1820,  8,765;  1830,  31,639; 
1840,  212,267;  1850;  397,654;  and  1860,  749,113. 

Newspapers  were  a  luxury  in  which  Michigan  did  not 
early  indulge.  None  had  greeted  them  in  1810;  and  but 
two  in  1828.  The  writer  has  not  the  date  of  the  first  paper, 
but  the  "  Detroit  Gazette"  was  being  published  as  early  at 
least  as  May,  1819.  In  1840  they  could  boast  of  having  6 
daily,  26  weekly,  and  1  magazine.  In  1850  the  census  gave 
the  State  3  daily,  2  tri-weekly,  47  weekly,  3  semi-monthly, 
and  3  monthly  publications;  total  58,  with  an  aggregate 
circulation  for  the  year  of  3,247,736. 

In  1860,  the  papers  had  increased  to  :  Political,  8  daily, 
3  bi-weekly,  1  tri-weekly,  96  weekly,  1  monthly;  total,  109. 
Religious,  3  weekly,  1  monthly;  total,  4.  Literary,  3 
weekly.  Miscellaneous,  1  weekly  and  1  monthly.  The 
aggregate  circulation  per  annum  was  11,606,596. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

WISCONSIN. 

IN  writing  of  the  introduction  of  civilization  into  the  north- 
west, we  have  no  fables  to  relate  to  prepossess  the  minds 
of  a  credulous  generation,  that  our  country  has  been  spe- 
cially favored  by  Deity ;  but,  like  the  French  commandant 
at  Detroit,  when  attacked  by  the  Indians,  we  don't  "  know 
on  what  Saint  to  call,"  and  when  driven  to  the  necessity  of 
making  a  selection,  we  are  perfectly  at  liberty  to  take  St. 
George  of  England,  St.  Andrew  of  Scotland,  St.  Patrick  of 
Ireland,  or  St.  Xavier  of  Japan,  with  full  assurance  that 
either  of  them  will  be  equally  serviceable  to  us  in  our 
necessities. 

But  if  the  day  of  Saints  had  passed  away  at  the  time  of 
the  advent  of  the  whites  to  our  shores,  the  day  of  imposi- 
tion had  not,  and  if  the  reader  had  been  standing  on  the 
Moke-kaw-sfioots-raw^  or  red  earth  banks  of  Green  Bay, 
in  the  summer  of  1639,  there  might  probably  have  been 
seen  advancing,  in  a  pompous  procession  of  Hurons  and 
O-chunk-o-raws,  a  Frenchman,  dressed  in  a  long,  full  robe 
of  china  damask,  covered  over  with  flowers  and  birds  of 
all  colors,  and  carrying  a  pistol  in  each  hand.  To  the 
reader,  such  a  pompous  display  of  brilliant  colors  would 
have  excited  only  a  smile  of  contempt;  but  not  so  with  the 
untutored  savage.  The  timid  Enog-ga-raw,  and  her  little 
flock  of  Nlnk-si)ig-in-yraws,  screamed, "  Wau-kon-ga-raw  /" 
or  the  "  spirit  man,"  and  fled  to  the  shelter  of  their  wig- 


WISCONSIN.  341 

warns,  while  the  dusky  warrior,  whose  courage  of  a  hundred 
battles,  welling  up  in  his  soul  until  it  sparkled  in  his  brilliant 
eyes,  with  his  hands  firmly  grasping  his  bow  and  tomahawk, 
looked  on  with  profound  silence. 

The  message  delivered  was  "  Peace  " —  a  fit  message  to 
be  always  borne  by  civilization.  Peace  between  the  great 
Huron,  Iroquois  and  Algonquin  nations.  Perhaps  the 
reader  imagines  this  message  was  received  by  the  old  war- 
riors with  scorn  and  contempt,  but  they  mistake  even  the 
Indian  character.  It  was  received  with  great  joy.  The 
news  spread  through  the  surrounding  country,  and  soon 
after,  an  assembly  of  4,000  or  5,000  of  diiferent  nations 
came  together,  and  great  feasts  were  given  by  the  chiefs, 
one  of  which  served  up  six  score  beaver  at  a  single  banquet. 
Here  were  the  0-chunk-o-raws,  "  sedentary  and  very 
numerous ; "  the  proud  Illinois,  or  "  The  Men  ;  "  the  bold 
and  warlike  Dakotas,  or  the  confederates  ;  and  the  wander- 
ing Potowatomies,  a  stray  band  of  Algonquins ;  all  rejoicing 
with  the  Frenchman,  at  the  temporary  peace  among  a  por- 
tion of  the  tribes  that  lived  along  the  great  lakes,  foolishly 
thinking  that  a  peace  proclaimed  by  such  a  wonderful  man 
would  be  permanent,  and  that  thereafter  their  slumbers 
would  not  be  broken  by  the  murderous  tomahawk.  But 
this  delusion  was  nearly  fatal  to  the  O-chunk-o-raws,  who 
were  nearly  exterminated  the  following  year  by  the  Illinois, 
and  bTit  two  years  after,  the  Potowatomies  fled  to  Lake 
Superior,  from  the  victorious  Dakotas. 

War  is  generated  among  barbarous  nations  precisely  as 
among  civilized.  Aggressions  are  committed  by  a  few 
malicious  and  discontented  persons;  retaliation  follows, 
when  the  war  cry  is  raised",  and  but  few  have  the  moral 
power  to  resist  its  potent  influence.  Blood  flows  freely 
until  the  original  instigators  are  destroyed;  or  the  people 
become  satiated  with  revenge.  Chiistianity  is  the  only 
power  that  can  be  brought  to  oppose  war ;  but,  alas !  this 


342  UPPKE  MISSISSIPPI. 

has  often  proved  too  weak  to  calm  the  baser  passions  of  our 
human  natures. 

The  Frenchman  whom  I  have  introduced  was  Sieur  Jean 
Nicolet,  the  Huron  and  Algonquin  interpreter  for  the  gov- 
ernment of  Canada.  The  governor  of  that  colony,  having 
heard  of  the  "  Gens  de  Mer"  whom  the  Algonquins  called 
~Winnebagoue,  or  men  of  the  Salt  water,  conceived  the  idea 
of  exploring  their  country,  and  dispatched  Sieur  Nicolet  for 
that  purpose.  He  passed  to  the  Hurons,  took  seven  of  that 
tribe  as  an  escort,  and  coasted  Lake  Huron  to  the  Winne- 
bagoes,  on  the  Green  Bay.  Here  he  concluded  a  treaty  of 
peace  with  several  tribes,  and  on  his  return,  having  reported 
"  that  had  he  sailed  three  days  more  on  a  great  river  which 
flows  from  that  lake  (Green  Bay)  he  would  have  found  the 
sea,"  it  has  been  inferred  that  he  reached  the  Wisconsin 
river,  and  was  the  first  Frenchman  that  floated  on  the 
waters  of  the  upper  Mississippi. 

The  exact  time  of  this  exploration  is  not  given  in  the 
Jesuit  records;  but,  having  been  first  spoken  of  in  their 
Relations  for  1639  and  1640,  it  is  believed  that  it  took  place 
the  former  year. 

Sieur  Nicolet  continued  in  the  service  of  the  Canadian 
government  until  October  31st,  1642,  when  he  was  capsized 
in  a  storm,  near  Quebec,  and  drowned.  Thus  perished 
the  discoverer  of  Wisconsin,  leaving  but  a  paragraph  of 
history. 

Soon  after  Sieur  Nicolet  visited  Green  Bay,  the  Iroquois 
renewed  their  war  against  the  western  tribes,  and  the  writer 
finds  no  record  of  any  other  white  person  having  visited 
Wisconsin  until  the  winter  of  1659-60,  when  two  French- 
men, probably  from  Kewenaw  bay,  Lake  Superior,  visited 
the  Tionontaties,  on  the  head  waters  of  Black  river,  "  six 
days' journey  towards  the  south-west;"  and  again,  in  the 
spring  of  1661,  Father  Ren£  Menard,  a  Jesuit  missionary, 
dispatched  three  Frenchmen  from  St.  Theresa  bay  (probably 


WISCONSIN.  343 

Kewenaw  bay,)  who  found  the  "  poor  tribe  of  Hurons"  far 
down  the  Black  river,  nearly  in  a  state  of  starvation. 

Finally,  the  good  Father  Menard,  aged  and  infirm,  with 
his  lay  assistant,  Jean  Guerin,  left  St.  Theresa  bay,  June 
13th,  1661,  to  visit  the  poor  nation  of  Hurons  far  down  the 
Black  river,  —  lost  his  way  in  passing  the  portage,  probably 
at  Black  River  falls,  August  10th,  1661,  and  perished  in  the 
woods. 

After  the  death  of  Father  Menard,  his  lay  assistant,  Jean 
Guerin,  returned  to  St.  Theresa  bay,  Lake  Superior,  and 
continued  his  missionary  labors  until  October,  1662,  when 
he  was  accidentally  killed  by  the  discharge  of  a  gun. 

But  these  misfortunes  only  quickened  the  missionary 
spirit  of  the  zealojis  Jesuits,  and,  August  8th,  1665,  found 
Father  Claude  Attouez  embarking  at  "  Three  Rivers," 
Canada,  with  six  Frenchmen  and  four  hundred  returning 
savages  for  Lake  Superior. 

The  long,  serpent-like  flotilla  of  bark  canoes  slowly  passed 
up  the  Ottawa  river,  in^Canada,  coursed  the  north  shore  of 
Lake  Huron,  passed  the  Falls  of  St.  Mary,  danced  over  the 
boisterous  waves  of  the  south  shore  of  Lake  Superior ;  and 
finally  the  tiny  fleet  was  safely  moored  on  the  sandy  beach 
of  the  main  land,  at  the  foot  of  what  the  Indians  called 
"  Chagouamigong"  bay,  in  Wisconsin,  October  1st,  1665. 
Here  the  pious  Father  established  the  mission  of  "  The  Holy 
Ghost,"  erected  a  chapel  and  cabins,  and  entered  upon  his 
great  work  ;  while  his  no  less  industrious  French  associates 
opened  their  little  shops  of  Indian  trinkets,  and  bartered  for 
furs  with  the  dusky  natives. 

But  the  good  Father  and  his  little  party  were  unconsci- 
ously doing  a  still  greater  work.  They  were  commencing 
the  first  settlement,  and  laying  the  foundations  of  the 
present  flourishing,  Christian,  and  commercial  State  of  Wis- 
consin. This  proved  a  very  important  post  to  the  French 
until  the  spring  of  1671,  when  they  and  their  Indian  allies 


344  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

were  driven  out  by  the  brave  Dakotas,  on  whose  territory 
they  were  trespassers. 

For  a  few  years  the  Dakotas  held  undisturbed  possession 
of  the  shore  of  Lake  Superior;  but,  in  1679,  the  adventurous 
De  Lut  visited  the  south-west  coast  of  that  lake,  made 
peace  with  the  Dakotas  and  Christinaux,  and  set  up  the 
arms  of  the  king  of  France  at  three  distant  points  ;  and  in 
June  of  1680,  with  two  canoes,  one  Indian,  and  four  French- 
men, passed  up  the  St.  Louis  river,  and  down  the  Rum 
river  to  the  Mississippi,  where  he  redeemed  Father  Henne- 
pin  from  captivity,  and  conducted  him  to  Mackinaw,  by 
the  way  of  the  Wisconsin  river. 

A  military  post  was  established  at  Chegouamigong  Point, 
under  the  charge  of  Lesueur,  in  1692.  From  that  time 
to  the  present,  it  is  believed  that  that  point,  or  "  La  Point," 
on  Madeline  island,  has  been  occupied  by  the  white  traders, 
and  most  of  the  time  as  a  military  post. 

At  the  close  of  the  Iroquois  war,  in  1666,  many  of  the 
savages  having  left  Chegouamigong  bay,  at  Lake  Superior, 
and  the  Foxes,  Sacs,  Mascotens,  Kickapoos  and  Potowa- 
tomies,  having  returned  to  Green  Bay  and  the  Fox  and 
Wisconsin  rivers,  Father  Allouez  resolved  to  follow  them, 
and  establish  a  church  in  that  region.  Consequently,  on 
the  3rd  of  November,  1669,  we  find  the  good  Father  setting 
out  from  the  Falls  of  St.  Mary,  Lake  Superior,  with  two 
companions,  for  Green  Bay.  As  the  Father  said :  "  Two 
canoes  of  Pouteouatqmis  wishing  to  take  me  to  their  country, 
not  that  I  might  instruct  them,  they  having  no  disposition 
to  receive  the  faith,  but  to  mollify  some  young  Frenchmen, 
who  were  among  them  for  the  purpose  of  trading,  and  who 
threatened  and  ill-treated  them."  On  the  second  day,  "  the 
difficulties  of  the  route,  in  consequence  of  the  lateness  of  the 
season,"  induced  them  to  "  have  recourse  to  Saint  Francis 
Xavier,  the  patron  of  the  mission,"  and  on  the  fifth  day  they 
were  involved  in  snow,  delayed  six  days  by  bad  weather; 
and  finally  he  said :  "  The  snow  and  frost  menacing  us  with 


WISCONSIN.  345 

ice,  my  companions  had  recourse  to  Saint  Anne,  to  whom  we 
recommended  our  voyage,  praying  her,  with  Saint  Franyois 
Xavier,  to  take  us  under  their  protection."  On  the  eleventh, 
near  the  Island  of  Mackinaw,  they  found  two  Frenchmen, 
with  Indians,  on  the  main  land,  and  doubled  in  safety  the 
cape  south-west  of  that  island.  "  Finally,  after  many  diffi- 
culties," said  the  Father,  "  our  navigation  came  to  a  close 
on  the  2nd  of  December,  the  eve  of  the  day  of  Saint  Frangois 
Xavier,  by  our  arrival  at  the  place  where  the  Frenchmen 
were,  who  aided  us  to  celebrate  the  festival  with  all  the 
solemnity  that  was  possible.  The  next  day  I  celebrated  the 
holy  mass,  at  which  the  Frenchmen,  to  the  number  of  eight, 
performed  their  devotions." 

Here  Father  Allouez  found  one  village  of  six  hundred 
souls,  composed  of  "  Ousaki,  Pouteouatamis,  Outagami, 
and  Ouenibigoutz,"  in  which  he  soon  commenced  teaching, 
and  named  it  the  "  Mission  of  Saint  Fra^ois  Xavier."  The 
location  of  this  Indian  village  was  on  Fox  river,  near  the 
bay. 

For  what  length  of  time  these  six  Frenchmen  had  occu- 
pied the  point  as  a  trading  post  previous  to  the  arrival  of 
the  Jesuit  Father,  we  have  no  intimation.  They  may  have 
come  in  the  summer  of  1666,  immediately  after  the  con- 
clusion of  the  peace  with  the  Iroquois ;  but  it  is  more 
probable  that  they  commenced  trade  at  the  bay  in  the 
spring  of  1669.  But  from  the  arrival  of  the  Jesuit  Fathers 
its  importance  as  a  trading  post  was  established,  and  from 
that  time  may  be  dated  its  permanent  settlement,  thirty 
years  after  it  was  first  visited  by  Sieur  Nicolet,  the  Canadian 
interpreter. 

From  this  date,  the  French  appeared  to  make  special 
efforts  to  press  westward  missionaries  and  the  trade  in  furs, 
and  finally,  June  14th,  1671,  at  the  Falls  of  St.  Mary,  in 
presence  of  large  numbers  of  the  Bay  and  Lake  Superior 
savages,  took  solemn  and  formal  "  possession  of  the  said 
place  of  St.  Mary  of  the  Falls,  as  well  as  of  Lakes  Huron  and 
22* 


346  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

Superior,  the  Island  of  Caientolon,  and  all  other  countries, 
rivers,  lakes,  and  tributaries,  contiguous  and  adjacent 
thereto,  as  well  discovered  as  to  be  discovered,  which  are 
bounded  on  the  one  side  by  the  northern  and  western  seas, 
and  on  the  other  side  by  the  south  sea,  including  all  its 
length  or  breadth ;  in  the  name  of  the  most  high,  most 
mighty,  and  most  redoubtable  monarch  Louis,  the  XIV. 
of  the  Christian  name,  king  of  France  and  Navarre." 

These  imposing  ceremonies  were  had  under  the  personal 
supervision  of  "  Sieur  De  St.  Lusson,  commissioner  sub- 
delegate  of  my  lord  the  intendant  of  New  France,  to  search 
for  the  copper  mine  .  .  .  near  Lake  Superior;"  and 
were  witnessed  by  the  Rev.  Fathers  Dablon,  Drouillets, 
Allouez,  and  Andre,  "  all  of  the  company  of  Jesus ;  Sieur 
Nicholas  Perrot,  his  majesty's  interpreter  in  these  parts;" 
Sieur  Jollyet,  and  fourteen  other  Frenchmen. 

The  desire  so  often  expressed  to  explore  the  Mississippi, 
finally  induced  Comte  De  Frontenac,  the  Governor  of 
Canada,  to  appoint  for  that  service  Sieur  Jollyet,  a  young 
man  born  in  Canada,  and  well  acquainted  with  the  Ottawa 
language,  having  resided  with  them  several  years;  and 
assigned  as  his  assistant  Father  James  Marquette,  of  Mack- 
inaw, who  had  fitted  himself  for  the  position  by  the  study 
of  the  language  of  the  Illinois  while  in  charge  of  the  mission 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  at  Lake  Superior.  The  party,  consisting 
of  the  two  named,  with  five  Frenchmen,  embarked  in  two 
bark  canoes  from  the  mission  of  St.  Ignatius,  at  Mackinaw, 
on  the  17th  of  May,  1673.  They  passed  by  way  of  Green 
Bay  and  the  Wisconsin  portage,  and  reached  the  Mississippi 
the  17th  of  June,  precisely  one  month  after  they  left  Mack- 
inaw. They  descended  the  river  to  the  "  Akansea"  tribe, 
in  about  the  34°  of  latitude,  and  started  on  their  return, 
July  17th,  by  way  of  the  Illinois  river  and  Chicago,  and 
reached  Green  Bay  the  last  of  September. 

The  exact  time  at  which  a  military  post  at  Prairie  Du 
Chien  was  established,  has  been  the  subject  of  much  specu- 


WISCONSIN.  347 

lation,  some  putting  it  as  late  as  1775,  while  it  is  stated  in  a 
report  of  a  committee  in  Congress  to  have  occurred  in  1755, 
which  was  the  year  following  the  reconciliation  of  the 
French  and  Sacs  and  Foxes.  The  latter  date  may  be  true, 
as  the  French  surrendered  Canada  to  the  English  in  1760, 
and  the  French  made  no  pretensions  to  occupy  the  upper 
Mississippi  after  the  abandonment  of  their  fort  at  Lake 
Pepin,  and  the  renewal  of  the  Fox  war  in  1728 ;  and  in  fact, 
the  French  trade  to  the  Mississippi  was  nearly  ruined  from 
and  after  their  barbarous  massacre  of  the  Foxes  at  Detroit 
in  1712. 

But  there  must  have  been  a  French  fort  at  or  near  Prairie 
Du  Chien  at  a  much  earlier  period.  That  it  was  at  Prairie 
Du  Chien  is  more  than  probable,  as  that  has  always  been  a 
point  of  general  resort  for  the  savages,  arid  the  "  Mound- 
Builders"  before  them.  The  evidence  of  this  early  occupa- 
tion is  found  in  the  document  of  the  taking  possession  of 
the  Mississippi  valley  in  the  name  of  the  French  king,  by 
"  Nicholas  Perot,  commanding  for  the  king  at  the  post  of 
the  Nadoue  Sioux,"  "  at  the  post  of  St.  Anthony,  May  8th, 
1689,"  to  which  documents,  among  other  names  of  wit- 
nesses, was  "  Monsr.  De  Borie-Guillot,  commanding  the 
French  in  the  neighborhood  of  Ouiskonche,  on  the  Missis- 
sippi." 

Indeed,  as  early  as  1686,  the  Governor  of  Canada,  in  his 
dispatch  to  the  king,  speaks  of  having  received  letters 
"  from  the  upper  Mississippi,  where  they  propose  wonders 
to  me,  were  I  to  establish  posts  for  the  missions,  and  for  the 
beavers  which  abound  there."  In  reply,  March  8,  1688,  the 
king  ordered  the  governor  to  send  men  to  formally  take 
possession  of  the  country  of  the  lakes  and  the  Illinois,  "in 
order  to  render  incontestable  his  majesty's  right."  From 
these  data,  we  may  safely  infer  that  the  country  about 
Prairie  Du  Chien  was  occupied  as  a  French  post,  at  least  as 
early  as  the  20th  of  April,  1689,  and  possibly  the  previous 
fall. 


848  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

But  if  the  country  was  occupied  as  early  as  1689,  it  does 
not  follow  that  its  occupation  was  continuous,  for  the  Sacs, 
Foxes  and  kindred  tribes  were  at  war  with  the  Sioux,  from 
their  first  settlement  on  the  Wisconsin  river  about  1655,  to 
their  peace  with  the  Sioux  about  1701 ;  and  as  the  French 
traders  with  the  Sioux  continued  to  sell  powder,  balls,  guns, 
and  other  articles  contraband  of  war,  to  that  tribe,  against 
the  repeated  remonstrance  of  the  Foxes,  their  traders  were 
often  plundered  by  the  latter  tribe  and  their  allies. 

Neither  did  the  condition  of  aifairs  improve  on  the  alli- 
ance of  the  Sacs,  Foxes,  and  Sioux,  in  1*701,  as  war  was 
immediately  commenced  by  the  allies  against  the  Chippe- 
ways  and  their  allies  of  Lake  Superior  and  the  northern 
country,  which  continued  with  slight  intermission  until  the 
reconciliation  between  the  Foxes  of  the  Wisconsin  river, 
and  the  Christinaux  of  Lake  Superior,  in  1754.  It  is  true 
that  this  war  would  at  times  subside,  and  traders  would 
again  reach  the  Mississippi.  Thus  in  the  fall  of  1727,  the 
French  built  Fort  Beauharnois  on  the  north  side  of  Lake 
Pepin,  but  were  driven  out  the  following  year ;  and  Father 
Guignas,  who  had  there  established  the  "  Mission  of  St. 
Michael,  the  archangel,"  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  Masco- 
tens,  an  allied  tribe  of  the  Foxes. 

If  the  French  ever  had  a  permanent  fort  at  Prairie  Du 
Chien,  in  latter  times,  as  tradition  confirms,  it  was  probably 
established  in  the  fah1  of  1754,  or  the  spring  of  the  following 
year,  when  they  rallied  powerful  bands  of  ah1  the  north- 
western tribes  against  the  English,  with  which  they  defeated 
General  Braddock,  near  Pittsburgh,  at  the  opening  of  the 
old  French  and  Indian  war,  in  1755. 

.  The  Rev.  A.  Bronson,  of  Prairie  Du  Chien,  in  the  Collec- 
tions of  the  State  Historical  Society  (Vol.  4,  page  249),  on 
the  authority  of  B.  W.  Brisbois,  Esq.,  a  native  of  that  place, 
states  that  the  first  settler  of  Prairie  Du  Chien  was  probably 
one  Cardiuell,  who  came  with  his  wife  to  the  Mississippi, 
from  Canada,  as  a  trader  and  trapper,  between  the  years 


WISCONSIN.  349 

1720  and  1730,  and  first  fixed  his  residence  on  Cannon  river, 
at  the  present  site  of  Red  Wing,  Minnesota ;  but  soon 
changed  it  to  Prairie  Du  Chien,  a  more  central  point  for 
trade,  and  opened  the  first  farm  at  the  latter  place.  Mr. 
Brisbois,  who  was  personally  acquainted  with  Cardinell' s 
widow,  who  died  very  aged  in  1827,  had  "  heard  her  say 
that  when  she  came  to  the  place  first,  the  waters  were  so 
high  that  they  came  up  from  the  Wisconsin,  next  to  the 
bluifs,  where  the  ground  is  some  feet  lower  than  the  rest  of 
the  plain,  in  their  bark  canoe."  If  this  statement  is  true, 
Cardinell  probably  came  to  this  prairie  at  the  time  of  the 
great  freshet  on  the  Mississippi,  in  the  spring  of  1728,  which 
flooded  the  fort  on  Lake  Pepin,  and  was  said  by  the  Sioux 
to  be  the  highest  water  they  ever  knew.  The  woman's 
statement  has  been  quite  generally  doubted,  because  in 
modern  times  the  river  has  not  been  high  enough  to  flood 
the  land  next  to  the  bluffs;  but  the  great  flood  of  1728 
having  been  established  by  official  French  documents,  it 
goes  strongly  to  corroborate  her  statement. 

However,  it  does  not  follow,  of  course,  that  Cardinell  was 
not  driven  out  of  the  country  with  the  other  traders  by  the 
Foxes  the  same  year,  and  even  remained  out  until  permitted 
to  return  after  the  general  peace  in  1754.  The  same 
authority  makes  the  second  settler  one  Ganier,  whose 
descendants  still  live  at  the  Prairie,  but  the  date  of  his 
arrival  is  not  given. 

The  Prairie  derived  its  name  from  a  Fox  chief,  by  the 
name  of  Alim,  or  Dog,  whose  band  occupied  the  bank  of 
the  Mississippi  at  that  point  as  late  as  1781,  and  the  French 
name,  "  Prairie  Du  Chien,"  literally  means,  "  Dog's  Plains." 
By  the  French  traditions,  the  "Dog's  Plains"  were  pur- 
chased of  the  Fox  Indians,  probably  at  the  time  the  French 
established  the  military  post,  about  1755,  and  evidence  of 
the  fact  having  been  lost,  the  pui-chase  was  confirmed  by 
NanpouiS)  a  Fox  chief,  about  1802,  at  Cahokia,  near  St. 
Louis. 


350  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

Captain  John  Carver,  of  Boston,  visited  Prairie  Du  Chien 
in  1766,  and  wrote  of  it  as  then  containing  "  about  three 
hundred  families,"  and  that  the  houses  were  "well  built, 
after  the  Indian  manner,"  but  does  not  say  that  it  then  con-, 
tained  any  French  inhabitants.  He,  however,  said  that  it 
was  a  great  mart  for  Indian  trade,  from  which  we  can 
reasonably  infer  that  it  had  a  good  supply  of  French 
traders ;  but  as  Canada  had  been  surrendered  to  England, 
the  French  had  of  course  evacuated  their  fort,  which  tradi- 
tion said  was  burned  the  second  year  of  the  American 
revolution. 

All  Canada  having  been  surrendered  to  England  by  the 
treaty  of  Paris,  February  10,  1763,  the  most  important 
posts  were  taken  possession  of  by  the  British  government, 
and  in  1781,  Lieutenant-Governor  Patrick  Sinclair,  of 
Canada,  negotiated  with  the  Indians,  and  purchased  Mack- 
inaw, Green  Bay,  and  Prairie  Du  Chien,  and  held  possession 
of  them  until  they  were  finally  surrendered  to  the  United 
States,  July  1,  1796.  Peter  Lapoint  was  the  interpreter  at 
the  treaty  with  the  Indians,  and  was  present  at  the  Prairie 
when  Bazil  Guird,  Pierre  Antya,  and  Augustin  Ang£ 
delivered  the  goods  to  the  Indians,  pursuant  to  the  treaty, 
and  with  Michael  Brisbois,  became  a  permanent  resident  of 
that  place  in  1781  or  1782,  from  which  time  the  post  became 
one  of  importance,  and  its  history  easily  traced.  During 
the  next  ten  years,  nearly  the  whole  prairie  was  claimed  and 
reduced  to  cultivation  by  the  adventurous  courriers  de  bois, 
who  had  abandoned  their  wanderings,  taken  to  their  sweet 
embraces  the  daughters  of  the  red  men,  and  retired  to  the 
enjoyment  of  that  connubial  bliss  which  is  often  less  appre- 
ciated by  those  much  more  advanced  in  the  scale  of  civili- 
zation. Their  numerous  but  dusky  progeny,  in  which  often 
flows  the  blood  of  mighty  Indian  warriors,  now  constitutes 
a  portion  of  the  aristocracy  of  the  ancient  villages  of  Prairie 
Du  Chien  and  Green  Bay. 

Oharlevoix,  who  visited  Green  Bay  in   1721,  dates  the 


WISCONSIN.  351 

first  settlement  of  this  place  in  the  previous  year,  but 
strangely  ignores  authentic  points  in  the  early  history  of 
Wisconsin,  and  replaces  them  with  vague  traditions,  which 
has  tended  so  much  to  confuse  the  otherwise  authentic 
histories  of  the  early  travelers.  We  have  heretofore  stated 
that  we  date  the  first  settlement  at  the  time  that  Father 
Allouez  established  the  mission  of  St.  Fra^ois  Xavier,  in 
1669.  This  mission  had  been  so  successful  that,  in  1673, 
Father  Marquette  stated  that  the  "  Fathers  "  had  baptized 
over  two  thousand  of  the  natives.  In  1680,  Father  Henne- 
pin  found  Frenchmen  trading  there  without  license,  on  his 
return  from  his  exploration  of  the  Mississippi.  In  the 
"Memoir  of  M.  De  Denonville,"  in  1688,  he  speaks  of 
"some  French  established  at  the  Bay  Des  Puans."  In 
1699,  Father  St.  Cosme,  in  his  journal  across  Green  Bay 
and  down  the  Mississippi,  said  that  "  the  Jesuit  Fathers 
have  a  mission  at  the  head  of  the  bay."  In  the  "  Memoir 
on  the  Indians  of  Canada,"  dated  1718,  published  in  Vol.  9, 
of  New  York  Colonial  Documents,  in  speaking  of  Green 
Bay,  says,  "  there  are  some  Frenchmen  there  also." 

Indeed,  authorities  can  be  multiplied  to  almost  any 
extent,  to  show  a  continuous  occupation  by  the  French  from 
1669  to  the  surrender  of  Canada  to  the  English. 

At  what  time  the  first  government  fort  was  established  at 
the  Bay,  there  is  considerable  doubt,  as  the  writer  finds  no 
mention  of  a  commandant  at  that  post  until  Captain  De 
Vercheres  was  appointed,  who  reached  that  place  about  the 
first  of  October,  1747.  Mackinaw  had  long  been  the  head- 
quarters of  the  fur  traders,  and  a  fort  at  that  point  was 
commenced  as  early  as  the  fall  of  1688,  under  the  orders  of 
the  French  king,  dated  March  8th  of  that  year. 

The  renewal  of  the  difficulties  with  the  Foxes,  by  the 
murder  of  a  Frenchman  by  that  tribe,  at  the  Bay,  in  the 
spring  of  1747,  may  have  led  to  the  fortification  of  Green 
Bay  by  the  French  government  for  the  safety  of  the  traders, 
although  in  the  return  of  a  list  of  forts  in  Canada,  in  1749, 


352  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

none  are  mentioned  at  the  Bay ;  but  Mackinaw  was  returned 
as  then  having  four  very  small  brass  guns,  and  one  four-inch 
mortar.  Forts,  however,  were  often  mentioned  at  the  Bay, 
by  early  travelers,  particularly  La  Hontan,  in  1689,  and 
Charlevoix,  in  1721 ;  but  such  forts  may  have  been  stockades 
without  cannon,  constructed  by  the  French  traders  for  their 
own  protection. 

Captain  De  Vercheres  evidently  did  not  long  remain  at 
the  Bay,  as  he  was  ordered  to  Lake  St.  Francis  the  follow- 
ing June.  In  1754,  Sieur  Marin,  who  the  previous  year  had 
commanded  an  important  French  expedition  to  take  pos- 
session of  the  Ohio  valley,  was  assigned  to  Green  Bay,  and 
fortunately  succeeded  in  settling  a  peace  between  the  Bay 
Indians  and  the  Christinaux  of  Lake  Superior. 

The  next  year  opened  the  old  French  and  Indian  war, 
which  only  terminated  with  the  surrender  of  all  Canada  to 
the  English.  This  war  was  the  last  great  struggle  on  the 
American  continent  between  the  English  and  French  for 
their  territorial  possessions,  and  for  the  supremacy  of  the 
Catholic  or  Protestant  religion ;  and  the  French  drew  from 
the  north-west  every  available  Indian  and  white  man  to  war 
against  the  English,  and  every  battle-field  of  that  war  was 
strewn  with  the  bodies  of  the  natives  of  the  western 
countiy. 

The  Governor  of  Canada  having  surrendered  that  prov- 
ince to  the  English,  by  articles  dated  September  8th,  1760, 
the  following  year  forces  were  dispatched  to  take  possession 
of  the  north-west;  and,  October  12th,  Captain  Balfour 
reached  Green  Bay  with  detachments  from  the  60th  and 
and  80th  regiments  of  Royal  Americans,  and  "  found  the 
fort  quite  rotten,  the  stockade  ready  to  fall,  the  houses 
without  cover,  our  fire-wood  far  off,  and  none  to  be  got 
when  the  river  closed."  The  14th  of  the  same  month, 
Captain  Balfour  departed  for  St.  Joseph's,  leaving  Lieutenant 
James  Gorrell,  with  "  one  sergeant,  and  corporal,  and  fifteen 
privates,  a  French  interpreter,  and  two  English  traders,  viz. : 


WISCONSIN.  353 

Messrs.  McKay  from  Albany,  and  Goddard  from  Montreal," 
to  hold  the  post  at  the  Bay,  who  erected  Fort  Edward 
Augustus. 

The  Fox  Indians,  so  often  exterminated  by  the  boasting 
French,  still  occupied  the  Fox  river,  where  they  had  been 
located  for  more  than  a  hundred  years,  and  numbered  three 
hundred  and  fifty  warriors,  their  usual  strength. 

Lieutenant  Gorrell,  in  speaking  of  the  Indians  dependent 
on  that  post  for  supplies,  includes  the  Sioux  and  lowas, 
which  precludes  the  probability  of  there  being  a  military 
post  at  Prairie  Du  Chien  at  that  time. 

In  1763  occurred  the  Pontiac  conspiracy,  gotten  up  by 
the  old  French  traders  in  the  north-west,  to  drive  the 
English  out  of  the  country ;  and,  June  4th  of  that  year, 
Mackinaw  was  treacherously  captured  by  the  united  forces 
of  the  Chippeways  and  Ottawas,  and  Lieutenant  Jamet  and 
twenty  privates  were  massacred. 

News  of  the  affair  was  sent  by  Captain  Etherington,  the 
commandant,  a  prisoner,  to  Lieutenant  Gorrell,  with  orders 
to  evacuate  the  post  at  the  Bay  and  go  to  Mackinaw.  A 
council  of  the  Bay  Indians,  including  the  Foxes,  was  imme- 
diately called ;  speeches  were  made,  presents  delivered,  and 
the  Indians  offered  not  only  to  protect  the  English,  but  to 
reinstate  the  garrison  at  Mackinaw.  Lieutenant  Gorrell 
accepted  one  hundred  warriors  as  an  escort  beyond  Mack- 
inaw, and  on  the  21st  of  June,  1763,  proceeded  with  his 
small  force, and  English  traders  to  Montreal. 

This  war  was  of  some  importance ;  but  peace  was  con- 
cluded with  the  western  tribes  on  the  18th  of  July,  1767,  at 
Niagara,  and  with  Pontiac,  July  18th,  1765,  in  the  region 
of  the  Wabash  river. 

The  post  at  Mackinaw  was  reestablished  in  the  fall  of 
1765,  under  the  command  of  Captain  William  Howard,  but 
I  find  no  evidence  that  a  military  post  was  ever  reestab- 
lished at  Green  Bay  while  it  remained  under  the  govern- 
23 


354  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

ment  of  Great  Britain,  nor  until  after  the  close  of  the  war 
of  1812. 

According  to  "  Grignon's  Recollections,"  in  1785  Green 
Bay  contained  only  seven  families,  mostly  half-breeds,  and 
none  above,  on  Fox  river.  This  number  increased  slowly, 
and  at  the  close  of  the  war  of  1812,  there  had  been  added 
about  thirty  Canadians  and  half-breeds  from  Canada,  so 
that  in  his  opinion  the  total  number  of  men,  women  and 
children  might  have  reached  one  hundred  and  fifty  souls 
at  the  commencement  of  1816. 

About  1809  was  erected  the  first  saw-mill  and  grist-mill 
in  the  State,  on  Devil's  river,  near  the  Bay,  by  Mr.  Franks. 
A  second  saw  and  grist-mill  was  erected  in  1813,  on 
Reaume's  creek,  about  four  miles  from  the  Bay.  In  1818 
Colonel  John  Shaw  erected  a  grist-mill  at  Fisher's  Coulee, 
four  miles  above  Prairie  Du  Chien,  and  the  following  year 
a  saw-mill  on  Black  river,  at  the  first  fails.  In  1822,  Mr. 
Perkins,  -of- Kentucky,  erected  a  saw-mill  on  the  Menomonee 
branch  of  the  Chippeway  river,  which  was  soon  carried  oif 
by  a  flood;  and  in  1830  was  successfully  replaced  by  a  new 
one,  erected  by  Joseph  Rolette  arid  James  H.  Lockwood, 
of  Prairie  Du  Chien. 

The  Indians  along  the  Mississippi  being  restless  and 
troublesome,  early  in  the  spring  of  1814  Governor  Clark,  of 
St.  Louis,  visited  Prairie  Du  Chien  with  a  military  force, 
held  a  council  with  the  Indians,  established  a  military  post, 
and  constructed  a  fort  at  that  point.  He  left  about  sixty 
men,  under  the  charge  of  Lieutenant  Perkins,  to  hold  the 
post.  This  force  was  captured,  July  21st  of  the  same  year, 
by  Colonel  McKay,  with  a  large  force  of  British  and 
Indians,  after  a  four  days'  siege,  and  the  men  paroled  and 
sent  with  their  arms  on  a  gunboat  to  St.  Louis.  Colonel 
McKay  left  at  the  fort  the  company  of  regulars  and  the  two 
companies  of  militia  from  Mackinaw,  under"  the  command 
of  Captain  Pohlman,  of  the  regulars,  who  probably  held  the 
post  until  the  close  of  the  war. 


WISCONSIN.  355 

On  the  21st  day  of  June,  1816,  a  detachment  of  United 
States  troops,  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Wiliowby 
Morgan,  took  possession  of  Prairie  Du  Chien,  and  imme- 
diately commenced  the  erection  of  a  fort  near  the  present 
site  of  the  dwelling-house  of  Colonel  H.  L.  Dousman,  at  the 
"  upper  town."  This  fort  was  flooded  by  the  high  water 
of  1828;  a  new  site  was  selected,  and  the  present  Fort 
"  Crawford"  erected  between  the  years  1829  and  1834,  and 
was  some  time  under  the  eommand  of  Colonel  Taylor, 
afterwards  President  of  the  United  States ;  and  his  son-in- 
law,  Jeiferson  Davis,  President  of  the  Confederate  States, 
was  long  a  lieutenant  at  the  same  post,  and  conducted 
Black  Hawk  to  St.  Louis  in  1832. 

About  the  16th  of  July,  1816,  Colonel  John  Miller,  after- 
wards Governor  of  Missouri,  with  a  detachment  of  three 
companies  of  the  3rd  regiment  United  States  infantry, 
reached  Green  Bay  in  three  sail  vessels,  the  first  to  reach 
that  point ;  and  soon  after  Fort  Howard  was  constructed, 
and  the  old  trading  posts  of  Prairie  Du  Chien  and  Green 
Bay  began  to  emerge  from  half-breed  jurisdiction  to  regular 
American  civilization. 

During  this  long  night  of  advancing  civilization,  the 
traders  and  settlers  were  "  a  law  unto  themselves,"  and 
generally  redressed  their  own  grievances,  and  many  a  poor 
man  perished  by  the  deadly  missile  of  his  comparatively 
white  neighbor,  who  charged  the  offence  on  some  straggling 
Indian ;  but,  to  their  credit,  these  offences  were  never 
approved,  and  the  code  of  the  Courrier  de  bois  was  generally 
like  that  of  the  Irishman,  to  give  every  one  "  fair  play." 

While  justice  to  some  may  be  intuitive,  yet  it  is  not 
safe  always  to  leave  its  administration  to  either  the  guilty 
or  injured  party;  and  that  being  the  opinion  of  General 
Harrison,  then  governor  of  the  territory  of  Indiana,  he 
occasionally  appointed  officers  for  Green  Bay  and  Prairie 
Du  Chien,  but  as  these  appointments  were  regarded  as  a 
slight  interference  with  the  established  order  of  things,  they 


356  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

were  never  very  popular.  This,  however,  may  not  be  true 
in  reference  to  Justice  Reaume,  who  was  said  to  have  been 
commissioned  about  1808  at  Green  Bay,  and  long  balanced 
the  scales,  if  reports  be  true,,  in  the  true  style  of  the  monkey 
in  the  fable.  lie,  however,  was  brought  to  sorrow  by  the 
competition  of  Mr.  Justice  Porlier,  who  was  commissioned 
by  the  Governor  of  Canada  in  1812,  claiming  British  juris- 
diction of  the  Bay,  and  also  recommissioued  in  January, 
1815,  by  the  same  authority. 

The  advent  of  the  troops  and  American  population  to 
Green  Bay  and  Prairie  Du  Chien,  the  admission  of  Illinois 
as  a  State,  and  the  annexation  of  Wisconsin  to  the  territory 
of  Michigan,  attracted  so  much  attention  that  it  was  deemed 
proper  to  give  this  new  territory  a  civil  government,  and  to 
that  end  the  three  judges  in  Michigan,  then  constituting 
the  legislature,  passed  an  Act  organizing  the  present  terri- 
tory of  Wisconsin  into  two  counties,  with  the  division  line 
running  north  and  south  through  the  portage  between  the 
Fox  and  Wisconsin  rivers,  calling  the  eastern  county 
Brown,  and  the  western  Crawford.  This  Act  was  approved 
by  Governor  Cass,  October  16th,  1818,  and  Wisconsin 
became  a  civilized  portion  of  the  United  States. 

The  mines  of  Wisconsin  have  figured  largely  in  connec- 
tion with  its  history,  and  have  contributed  much  to  attract 
the  pioneer  to  its  soil.  Nicholas  Perrot,  the  early  French 
interpreter  and  commandant  on  the  upper  Mississippi,  in 
1689,  has  the  credit  of  first  discovering  lead  on  the  Des 
Moines,  in  Iowa,  the  mines  of  which  long  bore  his  name. 

Le  Sueur,  in  his  voyage  up  the  Mississippi,  in  1700, 
speaks  of  a  lead  mine,  seven  leagues  up  the  "  River  a  la 
Mine,"  which,  by  his  distances,  was  evidently  Fever  river, 
at  Galena,  Illinois ;  and  the  same  authority  further  said: 
"  From  the  25th  to  the  27th  of  July,  made  ten  leagues, 
passed  two  small  rivers,  made  an  examination  of  a  lead 
mine,  of  which  we  took  a  supply.  This  mine  was  probably 
at  Dubuque. 


WISCONSIN.  357 

The  exact  date  of  the  discovery  of  lead  in  Wisconsin 
does  not  appear;  but  Captain  Carver  visited  the  Blue 
Mounds  in  1766,  and  speaks  of  lead  as  abounding  there. 
He  also  visited  the  Sues  at  Sauk  Prairie,  on  the  Wisconsin 
river,  and  remarked  that  "  so  plentiful  is  lead  here,  that  I 
saw  large  quantities  of  it  lying  about  the  streets  in  the  town 
belonging  to  the  Saukies."  It  is  quite  probable  that  lead 
was  known  to  exist  in  Wisconsin  long  anterior  to  its  dis- 
covery by  Captain  Carver.  The  Indians  owned  the  mines, 
and  dug,  smelted,  and  sold  it  to  the  French  traders  for 
goods,  who  shipped  it  to  market  when  they  went  to  St. 
Louis  for  their,  winter's  supply. 

In  1822  the  lead  trade  began  to  attract  some  attention, 
and  James  Johnson,  a  government  contractor  for  the  United 
States  army,  made  a  kind  of  treaty  with  the  Indians,  and 
obtained  leave  to  work  the  mines  for  a  limited  time,  prob- 
ably four  years,  as  they  left  about  1826.  Johnson  made 
some  arrangements  by  which  he  let  in  others  also  to  dig, 
and  Messrs.  John  and  Joseph  Ward,  of  Kentucky,  brought 
in  from  fifty  to  four  hundred  negro  slaves.  Several  others 
also  worked  slaves  in  the  mines.  Mr.  John  Armstrong 
came  to  Galena  July  10th,  1822,  about  ten  days  after  John- 
son, and  worked  at  different  points  in  Illinois  and  Wiscon- 
sin. In  1826  there  \v;is  a  great  rush  of  miners  to  Galena, 
somewhat  like  the  California  excitement,  from  which  point 
they  scattered  through  that  country,  and  the  following  year 
found  many  of  them  still  digging  ore  and  opening  farms. 
John  S.  Miller  was  at  Gratiot's  Grove ;  Ebenezer  Brigham 
and  John  Ray  were  near  Plattville  ;  William  Adney  near 
Hazel  Green ;  John  Armstrong  and  Jesse  W.  Shulls  at 
Shullsburg,  and  several  others  in  south-western  Wisconsin. 

This  advent  of  the  miners  upon  the  territory  of  the  Win- 
nebago  Indians  without  any  treaty,  deprived  them  of  their 
previous  profit- in  the  lead  trade,  and,  with  the  difficulty  at 
Fort  Snelling,  nearly  produced  an  open  war.  Murders  were 
committed  on  the  whites  by  that  tribe.  The  miners  fled  to 


358  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

Galena,  organized  military  companies,  elected  Henry  Dodge 
as  their  general,  and,  with  the  government  troops,  made  a 
campaign  to  the  portage  of  the  Wisconsin  and  Fox  rivers, 
where  the  difficulties  were  compromised  and  peace  restored 
without  much  bloodshed. 

In  this  campaign  to  the  site  of  Fort  Winnebago  (the  fort 
having  been  erected  the  following  year,)  General  Dodge 
discovered  the  Indian  diggings  at  Dodgeville,  and  in  the 
fall  of  1827  he  took  possession  of  those  diggings,  and 
thereby  founded  the  village  of  Dodgeville. 

In  the  spring  of  1828  lead  was  discovered  at  Mineral 
Point,  and  by  fall  Dodgeville  had  about  five  hundred 
inhabitants,  Mineral  Point  about  six  hundred,  and  the 
whole  mining  district  in  south-western  Wisconsin  about 
8,000  inhabitants.  In  the  fall  of  1829  a  public  meeting  was 
held  at  Mineral  Point,  and  John  L.  Chastine,  Esq.,  a  Ken- 
tucky lawyer,  was  appointed  to  attend  the  next  session  of 
the  legislature  of  Michigan,  and  procure  the  organization  of 
a  new  county  south  of  the  Wisconsin  river.  He  performed 
the  duty  assigned  him,  and  early  in  the  winter  Iowa  became 
the  third  county  in  the  new  State. 

The  rapid  ingress  of  population  to  the  Mississippi  valley 
at  this  period  alarmed  other  Indian  tribes;  and  in  1832 
broke  out  the  Sac  war,  and  that  tribe,  under  their  leader, 
"  Black  Hawk,"  was  driven  through  the  eastern  part  of 
Wisconsin,  by  way  of  Rock  river,  the  four  lakes,  and  the 
Wisconsin  Heights,  and  finally  defeated  at  the  battle  of 
Bad  Ax.  This  campaign  brought  the  beautiful  groves  and 
prairies  of  that  delightful  region  to  the  notice  of  thousands, 
and  led  to  its  prompt  occupation  by  the  adventurous  emi- 
grant within  the  next  ten  years. 

The  Rev.  Father  Zenobius  Membre",  speaking  of  the 
Indian  tribes  with  whom  he  had  become  acquainted,  and 
of  their  location,  having  incidentally  remarked  that  "  the 
Maskoutens  and  Outagamies,  who  dwell  at  about  4;>°  north 
latitude,  on  the  banks  of  the  river  called  Melleoki,  which 


WISCONSIN.  359 

empties  into  Lake  Dauphin,  very  near  their  village,"  etc., 
we  infer  that  he  had  learned  those  facts  when  he  passed  that 
point  with  the  party  of  La  Salle,  in  the  month  of  October, 
1679,  on  their  way  to  the  Illinois,  to  explore  the  Mississippi, 
and  therefore  that  La  Salle  and  his  party,  consisting  of  the 
Jesuit  Fathers  Hennepin,  Gabriel,  Membre,  and  Watteaux, 
and  seventeen  voyageurs,  were  the  first  white  men  who  ever 
visited  the  location  now  known  as  Milwaukee. 

It  is  true  that  Father  Marquette,  returning  to  Illinois, 
passed  Milwaukee  in  November,  1674,  and  also  that  the 
Rev.  Father  Allouez,  on  his  way  to  Illinois,  passed  it  again 
in  the  month  of  April,  1677  ;  but  as  neither  of  them  men- 
tion the  name  of  Milwaukee,  or  the  Indians  on  its  bank,  we 
are  not  allowed  the  inference  that  they  landed  and  made 
themselves  acquainted  with  its  name  and  locality,  although 
they  probably  saw  the  site  of  the  city. 

Again  we  find  the  name  mentioned  by  the  Rev.  Father 
St.  Cosme,  on  his  way  to  the  Illinois,  in  the  following 
'anguage :  "  We  arrived  on  the  7th  (October,  1699)  at 
Melwarick.  This  is  a  river  where  there  is  a  village  which 
has  been  considerable,  and  inhabited  by  Motarctins  and 
Foxes,  and  even  some  Poux.  We  remained  there  two  days, 
partly  on  account  of  the  wind,  and  partly  to  refresh  our 
people  a  little,  as  duck  and  teal  shooting  was  very  plenty  on 
the  river.  On  the  10th  of  October,  having  left  Meliwarick 
early  in  the  morning,  we  arrived  in  good  season  at  '  Kipi- 
kawi,'  which  is  about  eight  leagues  from  it.  Some  Indians 
had  led  us  to  suppose  that  we  might  ascend  by  this  river, 
and  that  after  making  a  poi'tage  of  about  nine  leagues,  we 
could  descend  by  another  river  called  Pistrui,  which  empties 
into  the  Illinois."  They  remained  five  days  at  "  Kipikus- 
kwi,"  exploring,  found  no  water,  and  went  on  the  lake  to 
"  Chicago." 

The  writer  was  not  well  settled  in  the  orthography  of 
these  names,  as  he  changed  each  time  he  wrote  the  words. 

The  meaning  of  the  word  Meliwarik,  or  as  now  Written, 


360  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

Milwaukee,  is  not  very  clear,  some  traders  rendering  it 
"  rich  or  beautiful  land."  Mr.  Grignon,  on  the  authority  of 
an  old  Indian,  renders  it,  Man-a-wau-kee,  or  place  of  an 
aromatic  root  called  man-wau  ;  but  Governor  Doty  is  quite 
positive  that  it  means  "  the  place  of  the  hazel  brush."  The 
difference  in  the  orthography  of  traders,  probably  results, 
in  part,  from  the  dialects  of  the  Foxes,  Mascotens,  and 
Potowatomies,  who  have  inhabited  it  at  different  times. 

"  Kipikawi  *'  is  also  rendered  "  Root,"  for  which  the 
French  give  as  an  equivalent,  "  Racine,"  and  therefrom  we 
derive  the  name  of  another  beautiful  city  on  the  western 
bank  of  Michigan,  or  Great  Lake. 

Milwaukee,  like  the  most  of  the  lake  and  river  towns,  has 
been  occupied  from  time  to  time  by  Indian  traders,  from  an 
early  period  of  our  State  history ;  but  the  last  one,  more 
permanent  than  the  rest,  and  whose  stay  reached  down  to 
civilization,  was  Solomon  Juneau,  Esq.,  a  native  of  Canada, 
who  erected  his  trading  shop  the  14th  of  September,  1818, 
the  year  that  Brown  county  was  organized.  From  this 
time  to  1834,  the  region  of  country  along  the  west  shore  of 
Lake  Michigan  seemed  to  afford  little  or  no  attraction  to  the 
white  settlers ;  but  in  the  latter  year,  Colonel  George  H. 
Walker,  Hon.  Byron  Kilbourn,  and  some  others,  made 
claims  at  Milwaukee ;  Captain  Gilbert  Knapp  and  two  asso- 
ciates, at  Racine  ;  Messrs.  M.  D.  and  A.  R.  Cutler,  John 
Menderville,  and  Mr.  Luther,  at  old  Prairie  Village,  now 
Waukesha,  and  perhaps  a  few  others,  when  application  was 
made  to  the  Michigan  territorial  legislature  for  another  new 
county,  and  on  the  6th  of  September,  1834,  Milwaukee,  or 
"  the  Land  of  the  Hazel,"  was  inaugurated  as  the  fourth 
sister  county  of  our  growing  family. 

The  two  following  years,  the  "  Land  of  the  Hazel " 
attracted  comparatively  a  large  emigration,  which  in  1836 
and  1837,  culminated  in  a  wild  town-lot  speculation,  and  a 
general  bankruptcy  of  speculators. 

The  territory  of  Michigan,  east  of  the  lake,  including  the 


WISCONSIN.  361 

northern  peninsula,  having  formed  a  State  government,  and 
been  admitted  into  the  Union  of  States,  Congress  passed  an 
act,  which  was  approved  by  the  President  April  20,  1836, 
"  establishing  the  territorial  government  of  Wisconsin." 

The  rapid  settlement  of  the  new  territory  soon  made  it 
necessary  to  adopt  a  constitution  and  become  a  State,  and 
to  that  end  delegates  were  elected,  who  met  at  Madison,  the 
seat  of  government,  October  5,  1846,  and  after  a  stormy 
session  of  seventy-three  days,  they  adopted  a  constitution, 
which,  on  being  submitted  to  a  popular  vote  of  the  people 
of  the  territory,  was  rejected  by  a  considerable  majority. 
The  difficulty  in  the  convention  arose  mainly  from  the  fact 
that,  as  the  democratic  party  was  largely  in  the  majority  in 
that  body,  the  visionary  theorists  of  the  leaders  succeeded 
in  pressing  into  the  constitution  some  of  their  wildest 
schemes,  which  proved  more  objectionable  to  the  rank  and 
file  of  the  party  than  supposed ;  hence  the  "  bolters,"  joining 
the  whigs,  who  were  all  united  in  opposition,  a  large  major- 
ity was  secured  against  it. 

A  second  convention  was  called,  and  new  delegates 
elected,  who  met  December  15,  1847,  and  on  the  1st  day 
of  February,  1848,  they  signed  the  present  constitution  of 
the  State,  which,  having  been  submitted  to  a  vote  of  the 
people,  was  ratified  and  adopted  without  any  serious  oppo- 
sition, whereupon  Congress  passed  an  act,  which  was 
approved  by  the  President  May  29,  1848,  admitting  Wis- 
consin as  a  State  of  the  Union. 

On  the  admission  of  the  State  into  the  Union,  it  became 
a  district  for  a  United  States  District  Court,  and  Hon.  A.  G. 
Miller,  a  territorial  judge,  was  appointed  district  judge  by 
the  President. 

By  an  act  of  Congress,  approved  September  28,  1850, 
Wisconsin  became  a  collection  district,  and  Milwaukee  the 
port  of  entry,  and  Kenosha,  Racine,  Sheboygan,  Green  Bay, 
and'Depere,  ports  of  delivery. 

In  1834,  Wisconsin  territory,  then  belonging  to  Michigan, 
23* 


362  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

•was  divided  into  two  land  districts,  for  the  sale  of  govern- 
ment land,  by  a  north  and  south  line  on  the  township  line 
next  west  of  Fort  Winnebago ;  and  the  eastern  district  was 
called  "  Green  Bay,"  and  the  western  district  the  Wisconsin 
land  district,"  registers  and  receivers  being  appointed  in 
both  districts.  Other  districts  were  afterwards  established, 
as  the  Milwaukee  in  1836,  Western  in  1849,  Stevens'  Point, 
July  30,  1852,  La  Crosse  by  the  same  act,  Fond  Du  Lac, 
of  Lake  Superior,  in  1855,  and  Chippeway  district  in  1857. 

The  population  of  a  State,  from  period  to  period,  is  as 
good  an  index  of  the  advance  of  civilization  as  can  ber 
obtained  without  the  actual  facts  in  the  case.  In  Wisconsin, 
the  population  has  been  as  follows :  In  1840,  30,945  ;  1850, 
305,391  ;  1860,  775,881  ;  1865,  863,326. 

When  this  State  was  admitted  into  the  Union,  it  became 
entitled  to  every  sixteenth  section  in  each  township  for  the 
support  of  schools  ;  also,  to  five  hundred  thousand  acres  as 
one  of  the  new  States,  to  balance  the  "surplus  revenue  " 
distributed  to  the  older  States  in  1836.  This  amount  was 
subsequently  increased  by  one-fourth  of  the  "  swamp  lands  " 
donated  to  the  State  by  the  act  of  1850. 

Portions  of  these  lands  have  been  sold  from  time  to  time 
on  contracts  of  ten  years,  for  seven  per  cent,  interest,  stfrne 
of  which  contracts  have  been  forfeited  to  the  State ;  and  in 
1865  the  school  lands  held  by  the  State,  both  unsold  and 
forfeited,  amounted  to  515,081  acres.  The  amount  of  the 
funds  yielding  seven  per  cent,  interest,  since  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  State,  has  been  as  follows : 

1849   ----------  $8,500.00 

1850 538,094.41 

1851 765,109.49 

1852  ----------  819,200.50 

1853  ----------  1,141,804.28 

1854  --.-...---  1,670,258.77 

1855 1,897,269.30 

1856  --.....---  1,859,242.82 

1857 2,007,944.15 


WISCONSIN. 


363 


1858    - 

1859 
1860  - 
1861 
1862  - 
1863 
1864  - 
1865 


$2,845,846.34 

•  2,786,767.03 

2,339>694-49 

•  2,458,351.49 
2,219,905.59 

•  2,262,466.15 
2,118,423.56 

•  2,113,506.32 


These  funds  for  1865  were  invested  as  follows: 

Amount  due  on  land  sold  on  certificates          .        -  -$675,037.11 

Amount  due  on  mortgages          -----  289,123.75 

Amount  due  on  certificates  of  State  indebtedness  -  -    897,000.00 

Amount  due  on  State  bonds        -----  103,700.00 

One  quarter  of  the  normal  school  fund  -        -        -  -     146,645.46 

Total-      ' -        -        -  $2,113,506.32 


Statistical  Table  of  Schools  in  Wisconsin. 


TBAE. 

Total  number  of  children 
in  the  State  over  four 
and  under  twenty  years 
of  age. 

Total  number  who  at- 
tended school  some  por- 
tion of  the  year. 

Average  number  in  school 
a  portion  of  the  time,  of 
each  hundred  of  school 
age. 

Average  number  of  days 
schools  were  taught. 

Apportionment  In  cents 
per  scholar. 

1849  

7045T 

32  147 

45 

71 

1850  

92,947 

61,507 

60 

74 

8  8-10 

1851  

111,481 

78,944 

70 

74 

50 

1852  

124,783 

88.042 

71 

75 

48 

1853  

138  279 

97,835 

69 

75 

45 

1854  

155  125 

103,933 

65 

77 

72 

1855  

186,960 

122,462 

64 

84 

80  5-10 

1856  

213,886 

134,353 

64 

99 

70 

185T  

241,545 

153,613 

60 

66 

1858  

264,077 

171,785 

63 

122 

75 

1859  

278,871 

188,477 

64 

1  1 

64 

1860  

288,934 

194,357 

67 

136 

64 

1861  

299,133 

198,443 

66 

182 

82 

1862  

808,056 

191,366 

62 

109 

50 

1863  

320,965 

215,163 

67 

120 

44 

1S<>4  

329,906 

211,119 

64 

120J 

47 

1S65... 

835,582 

223,007 

66 

134* 

46 

364  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

In  1865  the  whole  number  of  school  districts,  and  parts 
of  school  districts  in  the  State,  were  5,725,  in  which  were 
employed  7,532  teachers.  The  total  amount  expended  in 
the  State  for  schools  was  $1,055,101.33,  of  which  $151,816.34 
were  received  from  the  State,  and  the  balance  raised  by 
taxes.  The  number  of  public  school-houses  in  the  State 
was  4,338,  which  will  accommodate  241,593  pupils.  These 
houses  and  sites  were  valued  at  $1,669,770.06. 

In  addition  to  these  public  schools,  there  were,  in  1865, 
228  private  schools,  employing  242  teachers,  and  in  which 
7,986  scholars  were  registered  who  did  not  attend  the 
public  schools;  14  academies,  employing  81  teachers,  and 
having  1,950  students ;  and  nine  colleges  and  universities, 
employing  56  professors,  and  having  1,449  students.  All 
of  these  institutions  are  supported  by  private  means,  except 
the  State  University,  which  had  an  endowment  from  the 
United  States  in  public  lands. 

The  "Normal  fund,"  arising  from  the  sale  of  "swamp 
lands,"  has  been  set  apart  to  establish  four  Normal  schools 
for  the  special  training  of  teachers.  The  sites  for  the 
schools  had  not  been  selected  in  February,  1866.  There 
has  also  been  appropriated  by  Congress  240,000  acres  of 
government  land,  for  the  special  establishment  of  one  or 
more  agricultural  colleges  in  the  State,  by  the  act  approved 
July  2nd,  1862.  These  lands  have  been  located  in  Wiscon- 
sin, and  the  whole  fund  has  been  set  over  to  the  State  Uni- 
versity, which  has  organized  a  department  of  agriculture. 

To  these  educational  institutions  may  be  added,  as  institu- 
tions contributing  greatly  to  the  aid  of  civilization,  the  State 
Reform  school  at  Waukesha,  containing,  September  30th, 
1864,  one  hundred  and  seventeen  males  and  twenty  females ; 
the  State  Prison  at  Waupun,  containing  at  the  same  date 
one  hundred  and  twenty  inmates ;  the  Institute  for  the  Educa- 
tion of  the  Blind,  at  Janesville,  which  commenced  with  eight 
pupils  in  1850,  but  had  increased  from  year  to  year  until 
October  1st,  1864,  when  the  pupils  numbered  fifty-nine  ;  the 


WISCONSIN.  365 

Institute  for  the  Education  of  the  Deaf  and  Dumb,  at 
Delavan,  having,  October  17th,  1864,  forty-seven  male  and 
thirty-three  female  pupils ;  arid  the  State  Hospital  for  the 
Insane,  at  Fourth  lake,  near  Madison,  having  in  October, 
1864,  seventy-nine  male,  and  ninety-one  female  inmates. 
These  institutions  are  all  in  excellent  condition,  and  are 
supported  from  funds  derived  from  taxes  on  the  whole 
property  of  the  State. 

The  introduction  of  newspapers  is  also  an  important 
index  of  the  progress  of  civilization  in  modern  times ;  hence 
we  find  the  first  paper  in  Wisconsin  started  at  Green  Bay, 
December  llth,  1833,  and  called  the  "  Green  Bay  Intelli- 
gencer," a  four-column  semi-monthly.  The  second  paper 
was  the  "  Wisconsin  Free  Press,"  started  also  at  Green  Bay 
in  4835.  The  third  paper  was  the  "  Milwaukee  Advertiser," 
commenced  July  14th,  1836,  at  Milwaukee.  The  fourth 
was  the  "  Belmont  Gazette,"  commenced  at  Belmont  in  the 
fall  of  1836.  The  fifth,  the  "Milwaukee  Sentinel,"  a  six- 
column  weekly,  commenced  at  Milwaukee  in  June,  1837. 
The  sixth  was  the  "  Wisconsin  Culturist,"  a  large  octavo, 
issued  monthly,  and  commenced  in  1837  at  Milwaukee. 
The  "Racine  Argus"  next  came  as  the  seventh,  in  1839, 
and  after  six  months  was  removed  to  Madison,  and  became 
the  "  Wisconsin  Enquirer."  In  1843  it  removed  to  Mil- 
waukee, and  became  the  "  Milwaukee  Democrat"  in  August 
of  that  year.  The  next  year  it  was  changed  to  the  "  Free- 
man," and  in  subsequent  years  the  "  Free  Democrat."  In 
1838  the  "  Miners'  Free  Press"  was  started  at  Mineral 
Point;  in  1839,  the  "Northern  Badger,"  at  Plattville; 
1840,  the  "Madison  Express,"  at  Madison;  1841,  the 
"  Southport  American,"  at  Southport ;  "  Green  Bay  Repub- 
lican" and  "  Green  Bay  Phoenix,"  both  of  Green  Bay  ;  and 
"Milwaukee  Journal,"  at  Milwaukee.  In  1842  there  were 
four  more  added :  "  Racine  Advocate,"  "  Wisconsin  Demo- 
crat," at  Madison  ;  Independent  American,"  at  Plattville  ; 
and  "Mineral  Point  Free  Press."  In  1843  the  "Grant 


366  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

County  Herald"  was  started  at  Lancaster.  In  1844  five 
more  were  added :  the  "  Wisconsin  Argus,"  at  Madison ; 
the  "  Milwaukeean,"  a  tri-weekly;  the  "Wisconsin 
Register,"  at  Plattville ;  and  -the  "  Wisconsin  Banner,"  a 
German  paper  at  Milwaukee.  Many  of  the  papers  enumer- 
ated were  of  short  life,  others  changed  their  residences  and 
names,  and  some  became  permanent. 

The  writer  started  the  "Western  Star,"  at  Elk  Horn, 
August  7th,  1845,  the  first  paper  in  Walworth  county,  with 
which  he  was  connected  for  nearly  a  year.  At  that  time, 
the  following  were  the  newspapers  of  the  territory,  with 
their  politics : 

Whig. — Milwaukee  Sentinel  (daily  and  weekly) ;  South- 
port  American ;  Madison  Express ;  Wisconsin  Republican, 
Green  Bay ;  Janesville  Gazette ;  Western  Star. 

Democratic. — Milwaukee  Courier ;  Southport  Telegraph ; 
Racine  Advocate ;  Wisconsin  Argus,  Madison ;  Mineral 
Point  Democrat ;  Wisconsin  Banner,  (German,)  Milwaukee. 

Abolition. — American  Freeman,  at  Prairieville. 

Neutral. — Wisconsin  Herald,  Lancaster;  Independent 
American,  Plattville. 

The  "  Sentinel"  then  published  the  only  daily  paper  in 
the  territory,  which  was  begun  in  October,  1844,  and  all  the 
balance  of  the  list  were  weekly. 

The  exact  circulation  of  these  papei'S  at  the  time  can  not 
be  given,  but  the  daily  did  not  exceed  300  per  day,  nor  the 
weeklies  500  per  week,  on  an  average.  This  would  give 
about  575,000  annually. 

In  1850,  Wisconsin  had  6  daily,  4  tri-weekly,  35  weekly, 
and  1  monthly,  with  an  aggregate  circulation  annually  of 
2,665,487. 

In  1860,  the  papers  had  increased  to  14  daily,  8  tri-weekly, 
130  weekly,  and  3  monthly,  with  an  aggregate  annual  cir- 
culation of  10,798,670. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


THE  STATES  OF  MISSOURI,  IOWA,  MINNESOTA,  KANSAS,  AND 
NEBRASKA;  AND  TERRITORIES  OF  COLORADO,  DAKOTA, 
AND  MONTANA. 

MISSOURI. 

WE  have  heretofore  noticed  that  Missouri  was  first  visited 
in  1673,  by  Jolyette  and  Marquette.  From  that  time  traders 
occasionally  visited  that  region;  and  some  time  after  the 
building  of  Fort  Chartres,  and  said  to  be  in  1751,  a  few 
houses  were  erected  at  St.  Genevieve,  nearly  opposite  the 
old  town  of  Kaskaskia,  which  was  the  first  settlement  of 
Missouri. 

In  1762,  Mr.  D'Abadie,  the  governor  of  Louisiana, 
granted  to  a  company  of  merchants,  of  New  Orleans,  the 
exclusive  privilege  of  the  fur  trade  with  the  Indian  nations 
of  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri  rivers.  This  company  bore 
the  title  of  the  firm  of  Pierre  Liguest  Laclede,  Antoine 
Maxan  and  Co.  In  August,  1763,  Mr.  Laclede,  the  princi- 
pal of  the  company,  left  New  Orleans  with  his  shipment  of 
goods,  and  arrived  at  St.  Genevieve,  November  3rd  of  that 
year. 

Failing  to  find  at  that  place  houses  sufficiently  large  to 
hold  his  goods,  he  temporarily  deposited  them  in  Fort 
Chartres,  and  then  passed  up  the  Mississippi  to  find  a  suit- 
able site  for  his  trading  establishment,  finally  selecting  the 
ground  on  which  St.  Louis  now  stands.  He  cut  down  a 
few  trees  to  mark  the  site,  and  returned  to  Fort  Chartres, 


368  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

where  he  spent  the  winter.  The  1st  of  February,  1764,  he 
dispatched  Auguste  Chouteau,  with  thirty  men  and  boats, 
who  took  possession,  and  commenced  improvements  at  St. 
Louis,  February  15th  of  that  year.  Log  houses  were 
erected,  and  in  due  time  Laclede  and  Co.,  with  their  goods, 
wer.e  installed  at  the  new  city,  which  he  named  St.  Louis. 

At  this  period,  the  French  commandant  at  Fort  Chartres 
had  received  orders  to  surrender  the  east  bank  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi to  the  English,  and  the  French  inhabitants  and  half- 
breeds  were  in  great  consternation  about  failing  into  the 
hands  of  the  "  heretics,"  as  they  called  the  English.  Laclede 
took  advantage  of  this  alarm,  and  urged  the  inhabitants  to 
pass  over  the  river  and  settle  at  St.  Louis.  The  French 
commandant,  De  Neyon,  urged  them  to  go  down  the  river 
and  colonize  near  New  Orleans.  The  latter  left  with  most 
of  the  troops  and  many  of  the  inhabitants  for  New  Orleans, 
July  10th,  1764.  Many  of  these  emigrants  to  the  latter  city 
not  meeting  with  the  success  they  expected,  returned,  and 
settled  at  St.  Louis.  The  sequel  showed  that  Laclede 
secured  enough  to  constitute  a  small  village  at  St.  Louis. 
After  De  St.  Ange  De  Bellerive  had  surrendered  Fort 
Chartres  to  the  English  in  1765,  he,  too,  passed  over  to  St. 
Louis  with  his  troops,  and  became  a  permanent  settler. 
St.  Louis  thus  became  the  capital  of  upper  Louisiana,  with 
Captain  De  St.  Ange  as  commandant.  Although  Louisiana 
was  transferred  by  the  French  to  the  Spanish  in  1763,  the 
latter  nation  never  took  possession  of  upper  Louisiana  until 
August  llth,  1768;  and  this  possession  only  continued 
eleven  months  at  first,  as  the  difficulties  at  New  Orleans 
called  away  the  Spanish  troops,  who  did  not  return  until 
1770. 

The  early  pioneers  have  traditions  of  Vanne  de  grand 
coup,  or  the  year  of  the  great  blow.  It  appears  that  about 
1779,  Jean  Marie  Ducharme,  a  Canadian  fur  trader  of 
Mackinaw,  had  been  on  a  trading  expedition  up  the  Mis- 
souri river,  and  returning  to  St.  Louis  with  a  valuable 


MISSOURI.  369 

cargo  of  furs,  was  arrested  by  the  Spanish  commandant, 
thrown  into  prison,  and  his  goods  confiscated,  because  he 
had  no  Spanish  license  to  trade.  Proving  that  he  had 
ransomed  some  Spanish,  who  were  prisoners  among  the 
Indians,  he  was  set  at  liberty,  and  returned  to  Mackinaw. 
Smarting  under  the  loss  of  his  property,  he  obtained  the 
countenance  and  assistance  of  Governor  Sinclair,  the  British 
commandant  (England  being  at  war  with  Spain),  and  mus- 
tered an  expedition  of  Canadians  and  Indians,  nearly  nine 
hundred  strong,  which  attacked  St.  Louis  May  6,  1780,  but 
were  driven  off  by  the  French  inhabitants.  The  Mackinaw 
expedition,  however,  succeeded  ia  lulling  and  scalping  about 
sixty,,  principally  women  and  children,  who  had  not  time  to 
escape  from  the  fields,  where  they  were  engaged  in  agricul- 
tural labors.  The  English  also  captured  a  few  prisoners. 

The  emigration  to  Missouri  was  not  confined  to  the 
Canadian  French  alone,  for  when  the  Americans  had  once 
passed  the  Alleghany  mountains,  their  restless  dispositions 
often  led  them  to  the  very  outskirts  of  civilization  ;  hence 
we  find  that  General  Morgan,  of  American  fame,  procured 
a  large  grant  of  land  of  the  Spanish  government  in  1788, 
and  soon  after  planted  an  American  colony  at  the  present 
site  of  New  Madrid ;  while  General  Dodge  and  his  father, 
and  others,  settled  at  St.  Genevieve  in  1796.  Even  Daniel 
Boone,  of  Kentucky  fame,  spent  the  latter  portion  of  his  life 
in  Missouri. 

On  "the  9th  day  of  July,  1803,  at  seven  o'clock  P.  M.," 
says  the  old  record,  St.  Louis  was  thrown  into  a  profound 
sensation  on  the  receipt  of  the  news  that  Spain  had  ceded 
Louisiana  to  France,  and  that  Napoleon  had  sold  it  to  the 
United  States.  This  proved  true,  and  on  the  9th  of  March, 
the  following  year,  Major  Amos  Stoddard  appeared  at  that 
city  with  a  company  of  the  United  States  troops,  and,  as  the 
agent  of  France,  accepted  the  surrender  from  the  Spanish 
to  the  French ;  and  the  following  day,  accepted  the  surren- 
der from  the  French,  and  unfurled  the  stars  and  stripes  over 
24 


370  UPPEB  MISSISSIPPI. 

the  territory  of  upper  Louisiana.  Major  Stoddard  became 
military  governor,  though  soon  after  superseded  by  the 
arrival  pf  General  Wilkinson. 

By  an  act  of  Congress  passed  March  6,  1804,  Louisiana 
was  divided  on  the  parallel  of  the  thirty-third  degree  of 
north  latitude,  and  the  southern  portion  was  incorporated  as 
the  "  Territory  of  Orleans ;  "  while  the  northern  portion  was 
organized  as  the  "  District  of  Louisiana,"  and  placed  under 
the  jurisdiction  of  the  governor  and  judges  of  the  Territory 
of  Indiana. 

By  another  act  of  Congress  of  the  4th  of  June,  1812,  a 
portion  of  the  "DistrictTof,  Louisiana"  was  organized  under 
the  territorial  name  of  Missouri,  with  a  civil  government. 
By  the  act  of  Congress  of  March  6,  1820,  the  people  of 
Missouri  were  authorized  to  hold  a  convention  and  frame  a 
State  constitution.  The  convention  was  accordingly  held, 
a  constitution  adopted  July  19th,  1820,  and  the  State  of 
Missouri  admitted  into  the  Union  under  the  act  of  Congress 
of  March  2nd,  1821,  pursuant  to  the  President's  proclama- 
tion. A  bitter  opposition  was  made  in  Congress  to  the 
admission  of  Missouri  as  a  State,  for  the  reason  that  the 
inhabitants  thereof  had  established  slavery ;  but  this  oppo- 
sition was  finally  compromised  by  a  section  in  the  act  of 
March  6,  1820,  prohibiting  slavery  in  all  the  Louisiana  pur- 
chase north  of  the  parallel  of  36°  30'  north  latitude ;  not, 
however,  including  any  part  of  Missouri  within  the  prohibi- 
tion. 

This  was  the  postponement,  only,  of  the  great  question 
of  slavery,  which  the  passions  of  men  would  only  allow  to 
be  settled  by  the  civil  war  of  1861. 

The  act  authorizing  the  people  to  form  a  State  govern- 
ment contained  the  usual  grants  for  schools,  a  seminary, 
seat  of  government,  salt  springs,  and  five  per  cent,  of  the 
net  proceeds  of  the  sales  of  the  public  lands.  The  principal 
of  the  common  school  fund  in  1850  was  $575,667.96,  which 
was  loaned  on  bonds  to  the  State  bank.  The  seminary  fund 


MISSOURI.  371 

amounted  to  $100,000.  In  1862  the  school  fund  amounted 
to  $687,968,  and  was  invested  in  State  bonds.  The  disorder 
in  the  State  on  account  of  the  civil  war  suspended  any 
distribution  of  the  school  fund  to  schools  after  1860,  until 
after  the  close  of  the  war. 

A  State  convention  to  amend  the  constitution  of  the 
State,  assembled  in  February,  1861,  and  after  refusing  to 
vote  the  State  out  of  the  Union,  adjourned  until  July.  At 
the  appointed  day  of  adjournment,  it  met  and  deposed 
Governor  Jackson,  and  the  most  of  the  State  officers  and 
members  of  the  legislature,  who  had  become  rebels,  and 
organized  a  provisional  government  —  the  convention  as- 
suming legislative  functions  for  about  two  years.  It  finally 
adjourned  July  1,  1863,  after  having,  on  that  day,  passed 
an  ordinance  abolishing  slavery  from  and  after  July  4, 1870. 

In  1769,  upper  Louisiana  had  a  population  of  891  souls. 
By  the  census  of  1810,  Missouri  had  a  population  of  20,845. 
In  1820  it  had  increased  to  66,557,  of  which  10,222  were 
slaves.  In  1830,  140,455;  1840,  383,702;  1850,  682,044; 
and  1860,  1,182,012,  of  which  3,572  were  free  colored,  and 
114,931  were  slaves.  The  civil  war  which  followed  probably 
diminished  the  population  of  the  State  to  some  extent. 

Of  newspapers,  Missouri  had  none  in  1810,  and  but  five 
in  1828.  In  1840  there  were  2  daily,  28  weekly,  1  tri- 
weekly; total,  31.  In  1850  there  were:  Literary  and 
miscellaneous,  17  ;  political,  42  ;  religious,  2  ;  total,  61,  with 
a  circulation  of  70,480,  and  an  aggregate  circulation  for  the 
year,  of  6,195,560  copies.  Five  of  them  were  daily  papers. 

In  1860,  Missouri  had  :  Political,  15  daily,  3  tri-weekly, 
122  weekly,  and  1  monthly,  papers ;  Religious,  §  weekly  and 
2  monthly;  Literary  and  Miscellaneous,  1  daily,  12  weekly, 
and  8  monthly  papers;  total  of  all,  173,  with  an  aggregate 
annual  circulation  of  29,741,464  copies. 


372  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 


IOWA. 

This  State  was  visited  by  Marque tte  and  Jolyette  in  1673, 
and  by  Captain  Perrot  in  1689  ;  and  the  latter  has  the  credit 
of  discovering  the  lead  mine  at  Des  Moines.  Le  Seuer  saw 
lead  at  Dubuque  in  1700.  In  1780,  the  squaw  of  Peosta,  a 
Fox  warrior,  discovered  a  vein  of  lead  at  Dubuque,  and  in 
1788,  Julien  Dubuque,  of  Prairie  Du  Chien,  obtained  leave 
of  the  Indians  to  work  the  mine.  He  immediately  settled 
at  Dubuque,  and  became  the  pioneer  of  Iowa. 

After  the  close  of  the  Black  Hawk  war  in  1832,  the 
United  States  purchased  the  eastern  part  of  Iowa  of  the 
Sac  and  Fox  Indians,  the  Indians  making  a  reservation  of 
four  hundred  sections.  In  1836,  these  sections  were  pur- 
chased, and  the  following  year,  1,250,000  acres  additional, 
along  the  west  side  of  the  purchase  of  1832,  which  covered 
nearly  all  the  balance  of  the  present  State  of  Iowa.  The 
Indian  title  being  extinguished  to  the  eastern  part  in  1832, 
the  following  year,  the  settlements  commenced,  and  were 
continued  with  rapidity. 

In  1836  Iowa  was  included  in  the  organization  of 
Wisconsin  territory,  and  July  4,  1838,  was  made  a  separate 
territory  by  the  name  of  "  Iowa."  The  7th  day  of  October, 
1844,  Iowa  adopted  a  State  constitution,  and  March  2, 1845, 
was  admitted  into  the  Union  by  act  of  Congress.  The  new 
State  received  the  usual  land  grants  of  other  new  States. 

The  increase  of  population  in  the  new  territory  was  rapid, 
and  in  1840  the  census  showed  43,112;  1850,  192,214;  1860, 
674,948  ;  and  in  1863,  702,374. 

The  educational  interests  of  Iowa  are  nearly  the  same  as 
those  of  Wisconsin. 

The  newspaper  press  shows  a  fair  advancement,  the 
"  Dubuque  Visitor  "  having  been  the  pioneer  in  1836.  In 
1840,  there  were  4  weekly  papers ;  1850,  2  tri-weekly,  25 
weekly,  2  monthly;  total,  25,  with  an  aggregate  annual 


MINNESOTA.  373 

circulation  of  1,512,800.  In  1860,  the  number  had  advanced 
to :  Political,  9  daily,  2  bi-weekly,  2  tri-weekly,  106  weekly ; 
Religious,  1  monthly;  Literary,  1  monthly;  and  Miscel- 
laneous, 6  weekly,  and  3  monthly ;  having  an  aggregate 
annual  circulation  of  6,589,360  copies. 

MINNESOTA. 

This  name  literally  means,  in  the  Sioux  language,  Smoky- 
water,  and  was  applied  by  them  to  Minnesota  river,  which 
has  a  clay-colored  appearance. 

We  have  noticed  that  Father  Hennepin  and  De  Lut  first 
visited  this  State  in  1680,  or  at  least  the  upper  Mississippi 
part,  but  it  is  probable  that  Father  Allouez  first  visited  the 
territory  west  of  Lake  Superior  as  early  as  1665. 

Captain  Nicholas  Perrot,  with  a  small  military  force,  took 
formal  possession,  in  the  name  of  the  King  of  France,  of 
the  whole  upper  Mississippi  region,  and  made  a  record 
thereof  May  8,  1689,  at  the  post  of  St.  Anthony. 

Le  Seuer  visited  the  country  again  in  1700,  and  built  a  fort 
on  the  Blue  Earth  river,  where  he  dug  and  shipped  a  quan- 
tity of  the  blue  earth,  supposing  it  to  be  copper  ore. 

From  this  time,  the  French  had  but  little  trade  with  the 
Sioux,  as  the  French  were  the  allies  of  the  Chippeways,  who 
were  at  war  with  the  Sioux,  and  Sacs  and  Foxes.  The 
massacre  of  the  Foxes  at  Detroit,  in  1712,  cut  off  all  com- 
munication with  the  Sioux  by  the  Wisconsin,  until  after 
1754,  when  peace  was  made  with  the  Foxes. 

After  the  revolution,  England  held  possession  of  the 
north-west  until  1796,  when  it  was  surrendered  to  the  United 
States ;  but  the  upper  Mississippi  attracted  little  attention 
until  after  the  peace  of  1815.  In  1816,  the  President  sent 
a  military  force  to  take  possession  of  Prairie  Du  Chien,  and 
in  1819  Fort  Snelling  was  commenced.  In  July,  1847,  the 
writer  visited  St.  Paul,  Fort  Snelling,  Falls  of  St.  Anthony, 
and  Stillwater.  At  St.  Paul  he  found  two  small  log  stores, 


374  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

with  Indian  goods,  one  of  which  was  kept  by  Henry  Jack- 
son, a  native  of  Virginia,  who  was  the  proprietor  of  the 
town  site,  and  had  resided  there  five  years.  A  few  half- 
breed  log  houses  were  on  the  prairie,  towards  St.  Anthony's 
falls.  Mendota  was  the  only  trading  establishment  of  the 
fur  company.  Around  Fort  Snelling  were  three  or  four 
officers'  houses.  St.  Anthony  had  a  government  mill  and 
one  log  house  on  the  west  side,  and  one  log  house  on  the 
east  side  of  the  falls.  Stillwater  had  a  new  water  saw-mill, 
and  about  ten  buildings.  There  were  a  few  farms  opened 
between  Stillwater  and  St.  Paul,  and  some  trading-posts 
along  the  west  bank  of  the  river  to  Iowa.  This  was 
Minnesota  in  1847. 

On  the  3rd  of  March,  1849,  Minnesota,  by  act  of  Con- 
gress, received  a  territorial  government.  The  settlement  of 
the  new  territory  was  slow  until  after  the  treaty  with  the 
Sioux  of  1851,  which  was  amended  and  finally  ratified  by 
the  President,  February  24,  1853.  This  treaty  opened  for 
settlement  nearly  all  Minnesota  west  of  the  Mississippi.  In 
anticipation  of  the  ratification  of  this  treaty,  settlers  in- 
trigued with  officials,  and  occasionally  got  permits  to  trade 
with  the  Indians,  thereby  securing  advantageous  locations 
west  of  the  river;  but  early  in  the  spring  of  1853,  the  great 
emigrant  wave  overspread  all  southern  Minnesota,  and 
extended  high  up  the  Mississippi.  From  this  time  the 
settlement  continued  rapid,  and  February  26, 1857,  Congress 
passed  a  law  allowing  the  formation  of  a  State  government. 
A  convention  was  called,  delegates  elected,  and  a  constitu- 
tion adopted  August  29, 1857.  The  constitution  was  ratified 
by  the  people,  by  a  popular  vote  taken  October  13th,  of  the 
same  year.  A  peculiarity  of  this  convention  was,  that  in 
the  early  stages  of  its  sitting,  the  delegates  divided  on  party 
issues,  which  led  to  the  division  of  the  convention,  and 
continued  as  two  bodies,  and  each  adopted  a  separate 
constitution.  The  compromising  men  of  each  division  then 
put  themselves  to  work  to  get  up  a  compromise  constitution, 


MINNESOTA. 


377 


and  finally  succeeded  in  agreeing  on  one,  which  was  ratified 
by  the  people  as  above  stated.  The  State  was  admitted 
into  the  Union  by  Congress,  by  act  of  May  11,  1858. 

By  the  act  of  Congress  of  February  26,  1857,  there  were 
donated  to  Minnesota,  every  sixteenth  and  thirty-sixth 
section  of  land  in  each  township  for  common  schools, 
Beventy-two  sections  for  a  State  university,  ten  sections  to 
complete  the  public  buildings,  seventy-two  sections  to 
include  twelve  salt  springs,  and  five  per  cent,  of  the  net 
proceeds  of  the  sales  of  the  public  lands  in  the  State,  for 
internal  improvements. 

The  following  table,  from  the  report  of  the  superintendent 
of  public  instruction  of  Minnesota,  dated  December  31, 
1865,  will  show  the  condition  of  the  common  schools  of 
the  State  for  the  years  1864  and  1865 : 


1864. 

1865. 

Increase. 

Whole  numbe    of  districts  

1,738 

1,824 

86 

Whole  nuiube    of  districts  reported  

1,402 

1  495 

93 

17 

106 

89 

Whole  numbe    entirely  unreported  
Whole  numbe    of  persons  from  5  to  21  years. 
Whole  numbe    in  attendance,  males  
Whole  numl*    in  attendance,  females  
Whole  numbe    in  attendance,  both  sexes  .  .. 

119 

74,965 
23,054 
21,738 
44,787 
2(i  321 

223 
87,244 
26,165 
24,399 
50,564 
82  259 

104 
12,279 
8,111 
2,666 
5,777 
5,938 

Total  nUiiiber  of  teachers  

1,888 

2,003 

115 

Total  amount  paid  teachers  

$110  024.97 

$124,563.71 

$14,538.74 

Total  number  of  school-houses  

994 

1,112 

128 

Total  value  of  school-houses  

1224,500.25 

$280.829.51 

$55,829.26 

The  population  of  Minnesota,  which  numbered  only  6,077 
in  1850,  had  increased,  in  1860,  to  173,855  souls. 

The  amount  distributed  in  1865,  of  the  "current  school 
fund,"  was  $55,474.10. 

A  normal  school  was  in  successful  operation  at  Winona, 
with  fifty-eight  students.  A  State  University  was  located 
at  St.  Anthony,  about  1859,  and  a  building  partly  erected, 
but  abandoned,  probably  for  lack  of  funds.  The  writer  is 
not  advised  that  it  has  since  been  finished.  The  superin- 
24* 


378  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

tendent's  report  for  1865  makes  no  mention  of  it.  There 
are,  however,  the  Hamline  University,  at  Red  Wing,  be- 
longing to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church ;  another  at 
Hastings,  in  charge  of  the  Baptists ;  and  the  North-western 
University  at  Wasioga,  in  charge  of  the  Freewill  Baptists ; 
all  of  which  are  doing  a  good  work  for  collegiate  education. 
There  are,  also,  several  flourishing  academies  in  different 
parts  of  the  State. 

The  first  newspaper  of  Minnesota  was  called  the  "  St. 
Paul  Pioneer,"  and  was  started  by  Mr.  Goodhue,  from 
Grant  county,  Wisconsin,  April  28,  1849.  The  "Register" 
was  started  in  July  of  the  same  year,  the  first  number  of 
which  was  printed  in  Cincinnati.  About  the  same  time,  the 
"  Chronicle  "was  issued  at  St.  Paul.  The  two  latter  papers 
were  soon  after  consolidated  into  the  "  Chronicle  and  Reg- 
ister." In  1860,  there  were:  Political,  4  daily,  and  43 
weekly  papers;  Religious,  1  weekly;  and  Miscellaneous,  1 
weekly,  with  an  aggregate  annual  circulation  of  2,344,000 
copies. 

KANSAS. 

Long  previous  to  the  surrender  of  Canada,  the  French 
maintained  a  military  post  on  the  Kansas  river,  but  the 
soldiers  were  withdrawn  in  1764.  After  the  region  came 
into  the  possession  of  the  United  States,  it  was,  by  Act  of 
Congress  of  June  30th,  1834,  included  in  the  "Indian 
country,"  and  the  most  of  the  north-western  tribes  of 
Indians  were  subsequently  located  in  Kansas.  By  the  Act 
of  Congress  of  May  30th,  1854,  Kansas  territory  was 
organized,  and  a  territorial  government  put  in  operation. 
By  this  Act,  Congress  repealed  that  portion  of  the  Act  of 
March  6th,  1820,  which  prohibited  slavery  north  of  36°  30', 
north  latitude,  commonly  called  the  Missouri  compromise 
line,  and  provided  that  the  people  of  Kansas  might  establish 
or  prohibit  slavery,  as  they  might  determine  in  their  consti- 
tution. This  opened  the  territory  to  the  colonization 


KANSAS.  379 

schemes  of  the  friends  and  enemies  of  slavery,  and  both 
parties  commenced  organizing  and  arming  companies,  and 
sending  them  to  Kansas.  The  people  of  Missouri  being 
near  at  hand,  at  the  time  of  the  first  election,  went  into 
Kansas,  took  forcible  possession  of  the  ballot-boxes  at 
several  important  precincts,  and  voted  so  liberally  that  the 
first  election  was  carried  for  the  pro-slavery  party.  The 
free  State  men  claimed  that  the  election  was  carried  by 
fraud,  and  refused  to  obey  the  laws  passed  by  the  territorial 
legislature.  They  also  appealed  to  President  Buchanan, 
but  he  turned  a  deaf  ear,  and  finally  took  the  pro-slavery 
side.  The  result  that  followed  was  a  semi-civil  war  for 
nearly  three  years,  in  which  mobs,  resistance  to  officers, 
and  midnight  assassinations,  filled  the  country  with  violence 
and  murders,  and  the  military  of  the  United  States  were 
often  used  to  preserve  peace.  The  principal  leader  on  the 
part  of  the  pro-slavery  men  was  Mr.  Atchison,  United 
States  senator  from  Missouri,  while  James  H.  Lane  and 
John  Brown  were  the  leaders  of  the  free  State  men. 
During  this  time,  armed  emigrants  came  flocking  in  by 
regiments  from  north  and  south,  making  claims  on  govern- 
ment lands,  and  joining  in  the  melee. 

In  1857  the  pro-slavery  legislature  provided  for  the  elec- 
tion of  delegates  to  form  a  constitution,  but  with  such  test 
oaths  to  the  electors  that  the  free  State  men  refused  to 
vote.  The  free  State  men  also  called  a  constitutional  con- 
vention, and  both  parties  adopted  separate  constitutions. 
The  pro-slavery  party,  in  their  constitution  adopted  in 
November,  1857,  expressly  sanctioned  slavery,  and  the 
other  constitution  abolished  it.  The  two  went  before  Con- 
gress. President  Buchanan  gave  the  whole  force  of  his 
administration  for  the  admission  of  the  State  under  the  pro- 
slavery,  or  Lecompton  constitution,  while  Hon.  S.  A. 
Douglas,  senator  from  Illinois,  the  acknowledged  author  of 
the  Act  making  Kansas  a  territory,  and  of  the  doctrine  of 
"  Squatter  sovereignty,"  opposed  the  admission  of  the  State 


380  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

under  any  constitution,  until  that  constitution  had  been  sub- 
mitted to  a  fair  vote  of  the  people  of  the  territory,  and  rati- 
fied by  a  majority.  Senator  Douglas  and  his  associates 
beat  the  administration  in  Congress ;  and  the  pro-slavery,  or 
what  was  called  the  Lecompton  constitution,  was  submitted 
to  a  vote  of  the  people  of  Kansas,  and  rejected  by  a  large 
majority. 

The  free  State  men  thus  learning  their  strength,  rallied 
at  the  next  election  for  members  of  the  legislature,  and 
secured  a  majority  of  that  body.  The  next  summer  a  new 
convention  was  called,  and,  July  29,  1859,  adopted  a  con- 
stitution which  they  submitted  to  a  vote  of  the  people  of 
the  territory,  October  4th  of  the  same  year,  who  ratified  it 
by  a  large  majority.  This  constitution  for  ever  prohibited 
slavery.  It  was  submitted  to  Congress  in  December  of  the 
same  year;  but  Kansas  was  not  admitted  into  the  Union 
until  January  29th,  1861. 

The  repeal  of  the  Missouri  compromise  line,  and  the 
adoption  of  the  "  Squatter  sovereignty"  doctrine,  by  which 
the  people  of  the  new  territory  were  to  determine  for  them- 
selves, in  their  constitution,  whether  they  would  have 
slavery  or  not,  was  a  compromise  between  the  northern  and 
southern  democrats;  but  the  South  having  been  finally 
beaten  in  the  first  experiment  under  the  new  doctrine, 
repudiated  the  whole  compromise,  and  denounced  Senator 
Douglas  as  an  abolitionist.  When  he  was  nominated  for 
President  in  1860,  they  brought  forward  Mr.  Breckenridge, 
thereby  dividing  the  democratic  party,  and  throwing  the 
election  into  the  hands  of  Mr.  Lincoln.  Mr.  Buchanan  gave 
the  whole  force  of  his  administration  against  Mr.  Douglas' 
election,  thus  joining  hands  with  the  South.  The  rebellion 
which  followed  in  the  spring  of  1861,  was  the  inevitable 
result  of  the  previous  combinations,  and  Mr.  Douglas  and 
his  political  friends  could  do  nothing  less  than  join  Mr. 
Lincoln  and  the  republicans  to  put  down  the  rebellion. 
The  northern  supporters  of  Mr.  Breckenridge  having 


NEBRASKA.  381 

denounced  Mr.  Douglas  and  his  political  friends  as  aboli- 
tionists, were  now  alarmed  at  their  position,  and  many  of 
them  overleaped  the  democratic  party  and  landed  in  the 
ranks  of  the  abolitionists;  while  another  portion  became 
southern  sympathizers,  called  "  copperheads."  A  few 
returned  to  the  democratic  party,  and  joined  against  the 
rebellion.  The  close  of  the  civil  war  was  the  evidence  of 
the  final  death  of  slavery. 

Kansas,  by  the  Act  of  January  29th,  1861,  received  the 
usual  grants  from  Congress,  of  sections  sixteen  and  thirty- 
six  in  each  township,  for  common  schools;  seventy-two 
sections  for  a  university ;  ten  sections  for  public  buildings ; 
twelve  salt  springs,  with  seventy -two  sections  of  land ;  and 
five  per  cent,  of  the  net  proceeds  of  the  sale  of  the  public 
lands  in  the  State.  The  State  is  so  new  that  the  educational 
interests  are  not  fully  developed ;  and  the  breaking  out  of 
the  rebellion  so  soon  after  the  admission  of  the  State, 
required  all  the  energies  of  its  inhabitants  to  protect  their 
lives  and  property.  They  suffered  to  a  considerable  extent 
from  rebel  raids. 

The  progress  of  the  State  in  population  was  very  rapid, 
in  part  owing  to  the  excitement  on  the  slavery  question ; 
and,  by  the  census  of  1860,  while  still  a  territory,  it  was 
reported  as  having  107,206  inhabitants,  of  which  only  two 
were  slaves. 

Kansas  also  showed  a  rapid  advance  in  newspapers, 
having,  in  1860:  Political,  3  daily  and  21  weekly;  and, 
Miscellaneous,  3  weekly;  total  27,  with  an  aggregate 
annual  circulation  of  1,565,540  copies. 

NEBRASKA. 

This  State  derives  its  name  from  one  of  its  rivers,  which, 
in  the  Omaha  dialect  of  the  Winnebago,  is  said  to  mean 
"  spreading  water,"  or  "  wide,  shallow  water." 

It  was  organized  as  a  territory  by  the  "  Nebraska  Act," 


382  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

passed  by  Congress  May  30th,  1854,  as  a  part  of  the  great 
"  Squatter  Sovereignty  Compromise ;"  but  as  the  slave- 
holders did  not  attempt  to  colonize  it,  the  territory  was 
suffered  to  settle  according  to  the  ordinary  laws  of  emigra- 
tion, and,  in  1860,  had  only  28,841  inhabitants,  while  the 
sister  territory  of  Kansas  numbered  107,206.  The  popula- 
tion in  1867  was  only  estimated  at  40,000. 

The  question  of  the  admission  of  Nebraska  as  a  State 
was  seriously  agitated  in  1863,  and  April  19th,  the  following 
year,  Congress  passed  an  enabling  Act.  Under  this  Act  a 
convention  was  held,  and  a  constitution  framed,  which  was 
ratified  by  the  people  by  only  100  majority  on  a  vote  polled 
of  7,776,  June  2nd,  1866.  This  constitution  was  presented 
to  Congress,  and  on  the  8th  and  9th  of  February,  1867,  an 
Act  was  passed,  under  which  the  territory  became  a  State, 
March  1st,  1867,  as  recited  in  the  following  proclamation: 

"  The  Admission  of  Nebraska  —  Proclamation  of  the  Presi- 
dent. 

"  WASHINGTON,  March  1st,  1867. 

"  Whereas  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  did,  by  an 
Act  approved  on  the  19th  day  of  April,  1864,  authorize  the 
people  of  the  territory  of  Nebraska  to  form  a  constitution 
and  State  government,  and  for  the  admission  of  such  State 
into  the  Union  on  an  equal  footing  with  the  original  States 
upon  certain  conditions  in  said  Act  specified ;  and  whereas 
said  people  did  adopt  a  constitution  conforming  to  the  pro- 
visions and  conditions  of  said  Act,  and  ask  admission  into 
the  Union ;  and  whereas  the  Congress  of  the  United  States 
did,  on  the  8th  and  9th  days  of  February,  1867,  in  the 
mode  prescribed  by  the  constitution,  pass  a  further  Act  for 
the  admission  of  the  State  of  Nebraska  into  the  Union,  in 
which  last  named  Act  it  was  provided  that  it  should  not 
take  effect  except  upon  like  fundamental  conditions  that 
within  the  State  of  Nebraska  there  should  be  no  denial  of 


NEBRASKA.  383 

the  elective  franchise,  or  of  any  other  right  to  any  person 
by  reason  of  race  or  color,  except  Indians  not  taxed ;  and 
upon  the  further  fundamental  condition  that  the  legislature 
of  said  State,  by  a  solemn  public  Act,  should  declare  the 
assent  of  said  State  to  the  said  fundamental  condition,  and 
should  transmit  to  the  President  of  the  United  States  an 
authenticated  copy  of  said  Act  of  the  legislature  of  said 
State,  upon  receipt  whereof  the  President,  by  proclamation, 
should  forthwith  announce  the  fact,  whereupon  said  funda- 
mental condition  should  be  held  as  a  part  of  the  organic  law 
of  the  State,  and  thereupon,  and  without  any  further  pro- 
ceedings on  the  part  of  Congress,  the  admission  of  said 
State  into  the  Union  should  be  considered  as  complete ; 
and  whereas,  within  the  time  prescribed  by  said  Act  of 
Congress  of  the  8th  and  9th  of  February,  1867,  the  legis- 
lature of  the  State  of  Nebraska  did  pass  an  Act  ratifying 
the  said  Act  of  Congress  of  the  8th  and  9th  of  February, 
1867,  and  declaring  that  the  aforenamed  provisions  of  the 
third  section  of  said  last  named  Act  of  Congress  should  be 
a  part  of  the  organic  law  of  the  State  of  Nebraska ;  and 
whereas  a  duly  authenticated  copy  of  said  Act  of  the  legis- 
lature of  the  State  of  Nebraska  has  been  received  by  me, 

"  Now,  therefore,  I,  Andrew  Johnson,  President  of  the 
United  States  of  America,  do,  in  accordance  with  the  pro- 
visions of  the  Act  of  Congress  last  herein  named,  declare 
and  proclaim  the  fact  that  the  fundamental  conditions 
imposed  by  Congress  on  the  State  of  Nebraska  to  entitle 
that  State  to  admission  to  the  Union  have  been  ratified  and 
accepted,  and  that  the  admission  of  the  said  State  into  the 
Union  is  now  complete. 

"  In  testimony  whereof,  I  have  hereto  set  my  hand  and 
caused  the  seal  of  the  United  States  to  be  affixed. 

"  Done  at  the  city  of  Washington,  this  first  day  of  March, 
in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1867,  and  of  the  independence  of 
the  United  States  of  America  the  ninety-first. 

"  By  the  President:  "  ANDREW  JOHNSON. 

"  WILLIAM  H.  SEWARD,  Secretary  of  State." 


384  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 


COLORADO   TERRITORY. 

The  discovery  of  gold  near  "  Pike's  Peak,"  of  the 
Rocky  mountains,  attracted  great  numbers  of  miners  to 
that  region,  and  Congress,  February  28,  1861,  granted  them 
a  territorial  government  with  the  following  boundaries : 
"  Commencing  on  the  thirty-seventh  parallel  of  north  lati- 
tude, where  the  twenty-fifth  meridian  of  longitude  west 
from  Washington  crosses  the  same ;  thence,  north  on  said 
meridian  to  the  forty-first  parallel  of  north  latitude ;  thence, 
along  said  parallel,  west  to  the  thirty-second  meridian  of 
longitude  west  from  Washington ;  thence,  south  on  said 
meridian,  to  the  north  line  of  New  Mexico ;  thence,  along 
the  thirty-seventh  parallel  of  north  latitude,  to  the  place  of 
beginning." 

The  organic  act  for  Colorado  contained  the  usual  pro- 
visions made  for  other  territories,  and  the  government  was 
speedily  put  in  operation. 

The  rapid  settlement  of  the  territory  soon  established  the 
necessity  of  a  more  permanent  organization ;  and,  therefore, 
March  21,  1864,  Congress  passed  an  act  authorizing  the 
people  of  the  territory  to  form  a  constitution  preparatory  to 
their  admission  into  the  Union.  A  constitution  was  adopted, 
but  by  so  small  a  majority  of  the  people,  and  the  census  of 
the  people  being  considerably  less  than  was  anticipated,  the 
new  State  had  not  been  admitted  up  to  June,  1867. 

Population  of  the  territory  in  1860,  34,197. 

DAKOTA  TERRITORY. 

The  Indian  traders,  having  been  pressed  back  to  the 
upper  Missouri  by  the  advancing  civilization,  Congress 
decided  to  give  them  a  territorial  government;  and  March 
2,  1861,  the  territory  of  Dakota  was  organized,  with  the 
following  boundaries : 

"  Commencing  at  a  point  in  the  main  channel  of  the  Red 


DAKOTA  TERRITORY.  385 

river  of  the  north,  where  the  forty -ninth  degree  of  north 
latitude  crosses  the  same ;  thence,  up  the  main  channel  of 
the  same,  and  along  the  boundary  of  the  State  of  Minnesota 
to  Big  Stone  Lake;  thence,  along  the  boundary  line  of  the 
said  State  of  Minnesota,  to  the  Iowa  line ;  thence,  along 
the  boundary  line  of  the  State  of  Iowa  to  the  point  of 
intersection  between  the  Big  Sioux  and  Missouri  rivers  ; 
thence,  up  the  Missouri  river,  and  along  the  boundary  line 
of  the  territory  of  Nebraska,  to  the  mouth  of  the  Niobrara 
or  Running  Water  river ;  thence,  following  up  the  same, 
in  the  middle  of  the  main  channel  thereof,  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Keha  Paha  or  Turtle  Hill  river ;  thence,  up  said  river, 
to  the  forty -third  parallel  of  north  latitude ;  thence,  due  west, 
to  the  present  boundary  of  the  territory  of  Washington ; 
thence,  along  the  boundary  line  of  Washington  territory,  to 
the  forty-ninth  degree  of  north  latitude  ;  thence,  east,  along 
said  forty-ninth  degree  of  north  latitude,  to  the  place  of 
beginning." 

By  another  act  of  Congress,  passed  May  26,  1864,  the 
following  additional  territory  was  attached  to  Dakota: 

"  Commencing  at  a  point  formed  by  the  intersection  of 
the  thirtyrthird  degree  of  longitude  west  from  Washington 
with  the  forty-first  degree  of  north  latitude ;  thence,  along 
said  thirty-third  degree  of  longitude,  to  the  crest  of  the 
Rocky  mountains ;  thence,  northward  along  said  crest  of  the 
Rocky  mountains,  to  its  intersection  with  the  forty-fourth 
degree  and  thirty  minutes  of  north  latitude ;  thence,  east- 
ward, along  said  forty-fourth  degree  thirty  minutes  north 
latitude,  to  the  thirty-fourth  degree  of  longitude  west  from 
Washington ;  thence,  northward,  along  said  thirty-fourth 
degree  of  longitude,  to  its  intersection  with  the  forty-fifth 
degree  north  latitude ;  thence,  eastward,  along  said  forty- 
fifth  degree  of  north  latitude,  to  its  intersection  with  the 
twenty-seventh  degree  of  longitude  west  from  Washington  ; 
thence,  south,  along  said  twenty-seventh  degree  of  longi- 
tude west  from  Washington,  to  the  forty-first  degree  north 
25 


386  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

latitude ;  thence,  west,  along  said  forty-first  degree  of  lati- 
tude, to  the  place  of  beginning,  shall  be,  and  is  hereby, 
incorporated  temporarily  into  and  made  part  of  the  territory 
of  Dakota." 

The  Sioux  war,  which  broke  out  in  1862,  has  stopped  the 
settlement  of  the  country,  and  up  to  the  present  time  (June, 
1867),  the  few  white  inhabitants  are  confined  to  the  military 
posts. 

MONTANA  TERRITOBY. 

A  new  "  gold  fever "  having  taken  possession  of  the 
miners,  a  rush  was  made  to  the  Rocky  mountains,  at  the 
head-waters  of  the  Missouri,  and  the  usual  consequence  of 
the  organization  of  a  new  territory  followed.  This  act  was 
passed  by  Congress  May  26,  1864,  and  gave  the  following 
boundaries  to  the  new  territory  of  Montana : 

"  Commencing  at  a  point  formed  by  the  intersection  of 
the  twenty-seventh  degree  of  longitude  west  from  Wash- 
ington with  the  forty-fifth  degree  of  north  latitude ;  thence, 
due  west,  on  said  forty-fifth  degree  of  latitude,  to  a  point 
formed  by  its  intersection  with  the  thirty-fourth  degree  of 
longitude  west  from  Washington ;  thence,  due  south,  along 
said  thirty-fourth  degree  of  longitude,  to  its  intersection 
with  the  forty-fourth  degree  and  thirty  minutes  of  north 
latitude ;  thence,  due  west,  along  said  forty-fourth  degree 
and  thirty  minutes  of  north  latitude,  to  a  point  formed  by 
its  intersection  with  the  crest  of  the  Rocky  mountains ; 
thence,  following  the  crest  of  the  Rocky  mountains  north- 
ward, till  its  intersection  with  the  Bitter  Root  mountains ; 
thence,  northward,  along  the  crest  of  said  Bitter  Root 
mountains,  to  its  intersection  with  the  thirty-ninth  degree 
of  longitude  west  from  Washington ;  thence,  along  said 
thirty-ninth  degree  of  longitude,  northward  to  the  boundary 
line  of  the  British  possessions ;  thence,  eastward,  along  said 
boundary  line,  to  the  twenty-seventh  degree  of  longitude 
west  from  Washington;  thence,  southward,  along  said 


MONTANA  TKEBITOEY.  387 

twenty-seventh  degree  of  longitude,  to  the  place  of  begin- 
ning." 

This  new  region  has  received  a  considerable  population, 
but  the  Sioux  war  has  greatly  retarded  its  progress.  It  is 
said,  however,  that  the  miners  have  been  somewhat  suc- 
cessful in  the  collection  of  the  precious  metals. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


THE    MISSISSIPPI,  AND   ITS   NAVIGATION. 

THE  original  discovery  of  the  Mississippi  was  claimed  by 
nearly  every  new  traveler  who  visited  its  shores  at  different 
periods,  for  nearly  one  hundred  and  fifty  years,  each  of 
whom  sought  to  immortalize  some  personal  friend,  or  honor 
some  spiritual  patron,  by  bestowing  his  or  her  name  upon 
this  magnificent  river.  But  who  is  entitled  to  the  credit  of 
its  discovery  has  been  left  in  some  doubt ;  and  in  tracing 
back  the  claims  of  La  Salle,  Hennepin,  Marquette,  De  Soto, 
and  others,  we  are  inclined  to  award  the  honor  to  Alvarez 
Alonzo  De  Pineda,  who,  with  four  vessels,  appears,  in 
Spanish  history,  to  have  sailed  along  the  north  coast  of  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico,  from  Florida  to  Mexico,  in  1519,  and  who 
marked  on  the  map  of  the  expedition  the  mouth  of  a  large 
river  from  the  north,  which  he  named  Rio  Del  Espiritu 
Santo,  or  river  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Spanish  history  also 
relates,  that  Pamphilo  De  Narvaez,  with  his  adventurers 
from  Florida,  having  been  abandoned  by  his  fleet,  attempted 
to  escape  to  Mexico  in  hastily  constructed  boats,  and  on  the 
way  entered  the  mouth  of  a  "  very  great  river  of  sweet 
water"  from  the  north,  in  October,  1528. 

But  the  history  of  the  expedition  of  De  Soto  settles  the 
fact    beyond   a   doubt,   that   that    adventurer    struck    the 
Mississippi   in   latitude   about   34°  north,  on   the  25th  of 
April,    1541.     The   historians   of  that   expedition    applied  • 
to  the  river  the  names  of  Saint  Esprit,  and  Rio  Grande^ 


THE  MISSISSIPPI,   AND  ITS  NAVIGATION.  389 

but  De  La  Vega  stated,  on  the  authority  of  Juan  Coles,  one 
of  De  Soto's  followers,  that  the  Indian  name  was  Chu-ca-gua, 
and  marked  the  river  on  the  map  of  the  expedition  by  that 
name.  The  meaning  of  the  Indian  name  was  not  given  by 
De  La  Vega,  but  the  reader  will  discover  a  great  similarity 
between  that  word  and  Che-o-kah,  the  present  Choctaw 
word  for  "  great  water."  Chu-ca-gua  was  the  name  applied 
to  the  river  on  the  French  map  of  Sanson  in  1674,  following 
the  Spanish  authority. 

In  the  north,  the  Algonquin  nations  heard  of  "  the  great 
river  "  from  the  0-chunk-o-raws,  of  Green  Bay,  but  under- 
standing it  as  "  the  great  water,"  which,  according  to  their 
knowledge,  was  salt ;  they  therefore  named  that  tribe  the 
Winnebagoec,  or  "  people  of  the  sea."  The  early  French 
made  the  same  mistake;  hence  Nicolet,  in  1639,  called  the 
same  tribe  the  Gens  De  Mer,  and  the  Rev.  Father  Le 
Mercier,  Jesuit  Superior  at  Quebec,  in  a  letter  dated  Sep- 
tember 21,  1654,  wrote  that  he  had  learned  by  "  letters,  that 
it  is  only  nine  days'  journey  from  this  great  lake  (Green 
Bay)  to  the  sea  that  separates  America  from  China." 

In  tracing  the  French  explorations  and  discoveries,  we 
find  the  Rev.  Father  Claude  Allouez,  the  Wisconsin  Jesuit 
missionary,  near  the  head  of  Lake  Superior,  writing  in  his 
journal,  in  1665,  of  the  Illinois  Indians,  whose  "  country  is 
more  than  sixty  leagues  from  here,  towards  the  south,  and 
beyond,  a  great  river  that  discharges  itself,  as  near  as  I  can 
conjecture,  into  the  sea  towards  Virginia."  In  speaking  of 
the  Nadouesioux,  the  same  authority  says :  "  This  is  a 
tribe  that  dwells  to  the  west  of  this,  towards  the  great  river 
called  Messipi." 

After  this,  the  Jesuit  missionaries  in  the  north-west  often 
wrote  of  the  "  Great  river,"  arid  the  "  Missisipi,"  until  they 
induced  the  Governor  of  Canada  to  fit  out  an  expedition 
specially  for  its  exploration.  This  expedition  was  placed  in 
the  charge  of  Sieur  Jollyet,  with  the  Rev.  Father  James 
Marquette,  then  stationed  at  Mackinaw,  as  missionary  and 


'390  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

interpreter.  It  was  organized  early  in  1673,  at  Mackinaw, 
with  bark  canoes  and  five  voyageurs^  and  passed  by  way  of 
Green  Bay  and  the  Wisconsin  river,  and  reached  the  great 
river  at  Prairie  Du  Chien,  June  17th,  of  the  same  year. 
From  that  point  they  floated  down  this  magnificent  river, 
visiting  the  several  tribes  on  its  banks,  until  they  arrived  at 
the  Arkansas  river,  when  they  turned  back  and  reached 
Mackinaw  the  same  season,  by  way  of  the  Illinois  river  and 
Lake  Michigan.  Marquette  was  the  historian  of  the  expe- 
dition, and  named  the  great  river  "  De  la  Conception"  and 
in  explanation  said :  "  Above  all,  I  put  our  voyage  under 
the  protection  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Immaculate,  promising 
her,  that  if  she  did  us  the  grace  to  discover  the  great  river, 
I  would  give  it  the  name  of  Conception." 

Our  next  French  explorer  was  the  Rev.  Father  Louis 
Hennepin,  a  Recollect  missionary  belonging  to  the  party  of 
La  Salle.  He  was  dispatched  by  that  officer  from  the  fort 
on  the  Illinois  river  with  two  companions  in  bark  canoes, 
and  reached  the  great  river,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois, 
March  8th,  1680.  From  thence  they  journeyed  up  the  Missis- 
sippi a  few  days,  were  then  made  prisoners  by  a  war  party 
of  the  Sioux,  and  taken  to  Mille  Lac,  at  the  head  of  Rum 
river.  During  the  summer  they  were  redeemed  by  Sieur 
De  Lut,  who  had  reached  the  great  river  from  Lake 
Superior  with  a  small  guard  of  soldiers,  and  Hennepin  and 
companions  were  taken  back  to  Mackinaw.  Father  Hen- 
nepin, in  his  published  journal,  called  the  great  river 
"  Colbert,"  in  honor  of  Jean  Baptiste  Colbert,  the  Marquis 
De  Seignelai,  who  was  then  the  French  Secretary  of  Marine 
and  the  Colonies. 

The  main  expedition  of  the  Cavalier  Robert  De  La  Salle, 
which  had  been  gotten  up  with  great  cost  and  labor  to 
thoroughly  explore  the  great  river,  was  long  delayed  by  the 
wreck  of  the  supply  ship,  the  "  Griffin,"  and  the  revival  of  the 
war  between  the  Iroquois  and  the  Illinois  Indians ;  and  that 
indomitable  officer  and  his  party  only  reached  the  great 


THE  MISSISSIPPI,  AND  ITS  NAVIGATION.  391 

river  on  the  6th  of  February,  1682.  On  the  13th  of  the 
same  month  they  launched  their  canoes  on  the  mighty  river, 
and  the  7th  of  the  following  month  found  La  Salle  recon- 
noitering  the  shore  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  On  the  9th  day  of 
April,  1682,  La  Salle  took  formal  possession  of  the  country 
and  rivers  "in  the  name  of  the  most  high,  mighty,  invin- 
cible, and  victorious  Prince,  Louis  the  Great,  by  the  grace 
of  God,  king  of  France  and  Navarre,  fourth  of  that  name," 
etc.  He  called  the  country  "  Louisiana,"  in  honor  of  his 
prince,  and  the  great  river  "  River  Colbert,  or  Mississippi." 

As  the  name  "  Mississippi,"  of  French  orthography, 
became  finally  established  as  the  name  of  the  great  river, 
and  as  that  word  has  often  been  interpreted  as  meaning  the 
"  Father  of  waters,"  we  in  this  connection  say  that  the 
word  is  composed,  in  the  Illinois  dialect,  of  Michau,  great, 
and  /Sippi,  river;  which  the  Chippeways  contracted  for 
euphony  to  "  Mississippi"  of  French,  or  "  Mee-zee-see-bee" 
of  English  orthography.  Mr.  Schoolcraft  constructed  the 
word  from  the  duplication  of  Miss,  great,  —  meaning  great- 
great.  In  this  construction,  Mr.  Schoolcraft  forgets  that  in 
another  place  in  his  history  of  the  Indian  tribes,  he  says 
that  the  Chippeways  use  Michau,  for  great,  when  applied 
to  land  or  water.  But  if  that  tribe  do  sometimes  use  the 
word  Miss,  for  great,  and  Sippi,  for  river,  the  Chippeway 
rules  which  he  gives  for  euphony,  —  viz. :  when  two  conson- 
ants come  together,  a  vowel  must  be  inserted  between  the 
syllables,  —  will  explain  the  combination  and  make  the  word 
Mis-si-sippi,  or,  in  English  orthography,  Mee-zee-see-bee. 

That  the  word  simply  means  "  great  river,"  is  strength- 
ened by  the  fact  that  the  same  name  has  been  given  to  it 
by  the  other  tribes ;  for  we  find  the  river  called  J£ee-che-se- 
be  by  the  Ottawas,  Me-chaw-se-poo  by  the  Sacs,  Foxes,  and 
Potowatomies,  Pah-kah-poo-se-bee  by  the  Menomonies,  Ne- 
coos-hut-ta-raw,  by  the  Winnebagoes,  and  Wat-pah-tan- 
kah  by  the  Sioux.  But  we  will  pass  from  this  subject  to 
the  physical  character  of  the  great  river. 


392 


UPPEIl  MISSISSIPPI. 


The  Mississippi  has  its  source  in  the  numerous  springs 
that  burst  forth  from  the  hauteurs  de  terre,  or  dividin 
ridge  between  the  Itasca  lake  and  Red  river,  and  flow  into 
that  lake,  where  they  become  united,  and  start  on  their 
tortuous  course  for  the  ocean.  The  Itasca  lake  is  in  lati- 
tude 47°  13'  K.,  and  longitude  95°  2'  west  of  Greenwich. 

Table   of  Distances  and  Altitudes  on  the  Mississippi,  compiled  by 
Nicolet  and  Fremont. 


Distance, 

Altitude, 

FROM   THE    GULF   TO 

miles. 

feet. 

New  Orleans        ..... 

104 

i 

Red  River       ..... 

340 

76 

Natchez  light-house        .... 

406 

86 

Yazoo                           .... 

534 

Montgomery  Landing     - 

755 

202 

New  Madrid                 .... 

i,  "5 

Ohio  river              ..... 

i,  216 

324 

Cape  Girardeau          .... 

1*257 

St.  Genevieve       ..... 

i,33o 

Cathedral,  St.  Louis               ... 

1.390 

334 

Illinois  river          ..... 

1,426 

Des  Moines  river        .... 

1-594 

444 

Montrose                ..... 

1,609 

Burlington       -            -            -            -            - 

1.639 

Rock  Island                        .... 

1,722 

526 

Head  Upper  rapids    -             -             -            - 

i>737 

554 

Dunleith                 ..... 

1,861 

Prairie  Du  Chien       -                          - 

1.932 

642 

La  Crosse                            - 

2,014 

Hammand's,  Black  river        -             - 

2,035 

683 

Mt.  Trempealeau              .... 

2,042 

Roque's,  Wabashaw                .            .            - 

2,084 

Head  Lake  Pepin                          ... 

2,115 

7H 

St.  Croix  river            .... 

2,150 

723 

St.  Paul                  ..... 

2,186 

Minnesota  river          .... 

2.192 

744 

U.  S.  Cottage,  St.  Anthony        ... 

2,200 

856 

Rum  river       ... 

2,219 

Crow  river            ..... 

2,229 

Watab  river                 .... 

2-305 

Crow-wing  river                .... 

2,381 

1,130 

Pine  river        -             - 

2,429 

1,176 

Sandy  Lake  river              .... 

2,526 

i>253 

Leach  Lake  river        .... 

2,675 

i,356 

Old  trading  house,  Cass  lake      -            -             - 

2,755 

1,402 

Schoolcraft  I.,  Itasca  lake      ... 

2,890 

^575 

Dividing  ridge      -            -             -            -            - 

2,896 

i,  680 

THE  MISSISSIPPI,  AND  ITS  NAVIGATION.  393 

By  the  foregoing  table,  it  will  be  observed  that  the  dis- 
tance from  Prairie  Du  Chien  to  Minnesota  river  is  given  at 
two  hundred  and  sixty  miles,  but  on  many  steam-boat  cards 
it  is  put  at  three  hundred  and  eight  miles,  a  difference  of 
forty-eight  miles.  As  great  a  discrepancy  will  probably  be 
found  between  other  points. 

The  increase  of  the  altitude  on  the  river  is  too  gentle  to 
impede  the  navigation,  except  at  certain  points,  as  follows : 
The  lower,  or  Des  Moines  rapids,  are  about  eleven  miles 
long,  with  a  fall  of  twenty -four  feet;  the  upper,  or  Rock 
river  rapids  are  about  fourteen  miles  long,  with  a  fall, 
according  to  Captain  Lee,  of  about  twenty-six  feet.  These 
rapids  are  made  by  ledges  of  lime-rock  passing  under  the 
river,  and  are  very  difficult  to  pass  at  low  water,  even  with 
light  steamers.  The  rapids  from  the  mouth  of  St.  Peter's, 
or  Minnesota  river,  to  St.  Anthony's  falls  are  about  eight 
miles  in  length,  and  steamers  can  seldom  go  nearer  than 
within  four  miles  of  the  falls.  St.  Anthony's  falls  are  about 
twenty  feet  perpendicular  height.  Above  the  falls,  steamers 
run  to  Sauk  rapids,  about  seventy  miles,  in  a  good  stage  of 
water,  where  steam  navigation  practically  stops ;  although, 
in  1859,  a  small  steamer  passed  the  Sauk  rapids  and  Little 
falls,  and  reached  nearly  to  the  Falls  of  Pokegoma,  a  dis- 
tance of  three  hundred  and  fifty  miles  above  St.  Anthony. 
Canoe  navigation  reaches  the  Itasca  lake  by  making  port- 
ages past  the  several  falls. 

The  Mississippi,  from  Cairo  to  St.  Anthony's  falls,  appears 
to  have  scooped  out  itself  a  channel,  averaging  perhaps  two 
miles  wide,  and  from  one  to  four  hundred  feet  deep,  in  the 
otherwise  comparatively  level  country ;  thereby  creating 
the  impression  on  the  mind  of  the  traveler  that  the  Falls  of 
St.  Anthony  might  have  originally  been  below  St.  Louis, 
but  rapidly  receding  by  the  disintegration  of  the  sand  rocks 
until  it  reached  its  present  site.  Indeed,  the  falls  are  known 
to  be  still  traveling  up  stream,  but  as  the  strata  of  sandstone 
25* 


394  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

has  nearly  run  out,  it  is  supposed  that  its  locomotion  will 
nearly,  if  not  quite,  cease  at  the  end  of  the  next  mile. 

But  the  great  river,  being  unable  to  hold  the  position 
whicn  it  had  assumed  in  its  rampant  days,  finally  subsided 
into  a  main  channel,  about  half  a  mile  wide,  with  other 
smaller  channels,  called  sloughs,  leaving  much  of  the  two 
miles  or  more  in  width,  to  emerge  from  the  water,  and  the 
higher  portions  to  form  sandy  prairies  for  town  sites  and 
cultivated  fields,  while  the  lower  portions  form  timbered 
bottoms  and  islands.  At  Lake  Pepin,  however,  the  rampant 
river,  being  pressed  nearer  together  by  two  opposite  flinty 
promontories,  ploughed  deeper  in  the  earth,  and  scooped 
out  a  beautiful  lake  about  twenty-two  miles  long,  which  still 
holds  its  own,  and  has  become  classical  with  Indian  legends. 
Indeed,  we  believe  the  Roman  calendar  of  saints  might  be 
doubled,  if  proper  research  were  made  among  the  Indian 
legends  of  the  north-west. 

Below  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio  river,  the  main  channel 
does  not  much  exceed  half  a  mile  in  width,  but  increases  in 
depth,  and  the  timbered  bottoms  often  extend  thirty  miles 
before  the  higher  table  land  is  reached. 

The  rise  and  fall  of  the  water  of  the  Mississippi,  above 
the  Missouri,  is  generally  periodical.  The  first  high  water 
of  the  year  is  in  the  spring,  soon  after  the  clearing  out  of 
the  ice,  and  usually  commences  about  the  second  week  in 
April,  and  subsides  by  the  middle  of  May.  The  second 
high  water  is  called  the  "  June  rise,"  and  commences  about 
the  first  of  June,  and  extends  into  July.  The  first  rise  of 
water  is  caused  by  the  melting  of  the  snow  and  ice  in  the 
first  warm  weather  in  the  spring ;  while  the  "  June  rise  "  is 
caused  in  the  same  manner,  when  the  warm  weather  of 
summer  penetrates  into  the  cold,  swampy,  timbered  country 
on  the  head-waters  of  the  Mississippi,  Rum,  St.  Croix,  Chip- 
peway,  Black,  and  Wisconsin  rivers,  where  the  snow  falls 
deep  in  winter,  and  remains  until  the  heat  of  the  summer  is 
somewhat  advanced.  There  are  exceptions  to  the  general 


THE  MISSISSIPPI,  AND  ITS  NAVIGATION.  395 

rule,  as  in  1852,  when  the  month  of  April  being  unusually 
warm,  the  heat  penetrated  the  icy  swamps  of  the  hyper- 
borean regions,  creating  in  May  the  highest  flood  for  several 
years.  The  consequence  was,  that  we  tailed  to  get  the 
"June  Rise."  Seasons  like  1863  sometimes  occur  when 
but  little  snow  falls  in  the  winter,  and  the  spring  and 
summer  floods  both  fail.  Local  floods  may  occur  from 
heavy  rains,  but  these  seldom  extend  far  enough  to  much 
aifect  the  Mississippi. 

In  the  annals  of  the  country,  we  find  notices  of  great 
floods,  the  first  of  which,  in  April,  1728,  flooded  the  French 
Fort  Beauharnais,  on  the  north  side  of  Lake  Pepin,  which 
the  Sioux  said  was  the  highest  water  they  ever  knew.  Mr. 
Nicolet,  speaking  of  the  flood  of  1785,  said: 

"This  year  is  called  Vannee  de  grands  eaux  —  the  year 
of  the  great  flood.  In  the  month  of  April,  the  waters  of  the 
Mississippi  rose  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  above  the  highest 
mark  they  had  ever  been  kno\vn  to  reach  at  St.  Louis,  and 
at  some  narrow  parts  of  the  river,  as  high  as  thirty  feet. 
The  whole  region  of  country  drained  by  the  Mississippi,  to 
its  mouth,  presented  the  aspect  of  an  immense  sheet  of  water 
studded  with  islands.  The  village  of  St.  Genevieve,  Fort 
Chartres,  Kaskaskia,  St.  Phillippe,  Cahokia,  etc.,  were 
totally  submerged ;  and  the  inhabitants,  who  had  fled  to  the 
hills  that  overlooked  the  rich  bottoms,  interchanged  visits 
by  water  from  the  rocky  bluff's  of  the  right  side  of  the  river 
to  the  hills  that  border  the  Kaskaskia." 

The  great  flood  of  1826  was  the  highest  of  more  modern 
times  in  the  upper  country  ;  the  water  at  Prairie  Du  Chien 
reaching  twenty-six  feet  above  low  water.  The  flood  of  1832 
was  eighteen  feet  at  the  same  place,  and  in  1852  the  water 
rose  sixteen  feet  at  La  Crosse.  In  1835  the  flood  reached 
fifty-two  feet  at  Natchez.  But  the  height  to  which  a  flood 
may  reach  in  any  given  place,  of  course  depends  on  the 
width  of  the  river  bottoms  at  such  place,  and  the  same 
flood  will  reach  different  heights  at  different  localities. 


396  TTPPEK  MISSISSIPPI. 

The  depth  of  the  river  at  low  water,  except  on  the  bars, 
between  Dunleith  and  St.  Paul,  is  about  twelve  feet,  and  on 
the  bars  often  less  than  three  feet.  In  passing  below  Dun- 
leith, the  water  does  not  increase  much  in  depth  until  it 
receives  the  accession  of  the  Missouri,  when  it  seems  to 
take  new  impetus,  and  rushes  on  boldly  to  the  ocean.  At 
New  Orleans,  the  river,  at  low  water,  is  about  one  hundred 
and  thirteen  feet  deep.  We  can  not  give  the  depth  of  water 
at  Memphis,  but  there  is  nothing  visible  of  the  confederate 
fleet  of  war  steamers  sunk  there  June  6,  1862,  by  the  United 
States  gun-boats,  but  majestic  steamers  now  sweep  along, 
meeting  with  no  obstructions  from  the  bristling  gun-boats, 
or  tall  smoke  chimneys,  silent  as  death  in  the  depths  below. 

First  among  the  tributaries  of  the  Mississippi,  for  its 
usefulness  and  beauty,  stands  the  Ohio.  As  the  warlike 
Iroquois  floated  down  its  gentle  current,  watching  for  spoils 
along  its  flowery  banks,  and  seeking  enemies  on  whom  he 
might  revenge  a  lost  relative,  he  became  absorbed  in  the 
magnificent  scenery,  and  shouted  his  ecstatic  O-ee-o,  O-ee-o. 
The  French  took  up  the  word,  clothed  it  in  its  modern 
orthography,  and  translated  it  "La  Belle."  The  English 
have  retained  the  French  orthography,  and  render  the  word, 
"  The  Beautiful  j "  and  beautiful,  indeed,  it  is  in  song  and 
story ;  and  beautiful  will  it  remain  until  the  iron  hoof  of 
time  shall  wear  out  its  earthy  cradle,  or  its  mountain  sources 
shall  be  dried  up. 

This  river  was  first  visited  at  its  mouth  by  Marquette,  in 
1673  ;  but  he  mistook  it  for  the  Wabash,  and  probably  his 
Illinois  interpreter  only  knew  of  the  Wabash,  and  not  of 
the  Ohio. 

"  The  Beautiful "  river  has  its  western  source  in  Chatau- 
que  lake,  not  distant  seven  miles  from  Lake  Erie,  with  an 
altitude  above  the  latter  lake  of  about  seven  hundred  feet, 
and  above  tide  water  of  thirteen  hundred  feet.  The  eastern, 
or  Alleghany  mountain  source,  is  near  Coudersport,  Penn- 
sylvania. According  to  C.  Ellet,  Jr.,  Esq.,  civil  engineer, 


THE  MISSISSIPPI,  AND  ITS  NAVIGATION. 


397 


the  distances  and  fall  of  the  river  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  are 
as  follows : 

Distances  and  Altitudes  on  the  Ohio  River. 


Distance 

Pall  in 

in  miles. 

feet. 

Coudersport  to  Olean  Point 

40 

246 

Olean  Point  to  Warren 

SO 

216 

Warren  to  Franklin         -                          - 

7° 

227 

Franklin  to  Pittsburg 

130 

261 

Pittsburg  to  Beaver          - 

26 

30 

Beaver  to  Wheeling  - 

62 

49 

Wheeling  to  Marietta      - 

90 

49 

Marietta  to  Le  Tart's  Shoals 

31 

16 

Le  Tart's  Shoals  to  Kanawha    - 

55 

33 

Kanawha  to  Portsmouth 

94 

48 

Portsmouth  to  Cincinnati 

105 

42 

Cincinnati  to  Evansville        ... 

328 

112 

Evansville  to  Gulf 

1.365 

320 

Coudersport  to  Gulf—  Total 

2,446 

1,649 

By  an  examination  of  this  table,  it  will  be  seen  that  the 
fall  from  Olean  Point  to  Pittsburg,  in  low  water,  is  on  an 
average,  about  two  feet  ten  inches  per  mile ;  from  Pittsburg 
to  Evansville,  about  five  and  two-tenths  inches  per  mile,  and 
from  Evansville  to  Gulf,  about  two  and  eight-tenths  inches 
per  mile.  As  steamboats,  in  high  water,  have  been  as  high 
as  Olean  Point,  it  will  be  observed  that  they  are  capable  of 
overcoming  a  fall  of  four  feet  and  four  inches  per  mile,  as 
that  is  the  average  fall  between  that  point  and  Warren. 

Itasca  lake,  the  source  of  the  Mississippi,  having  an  alti- 
tude above  the  Gulf  of  1,575  feet,  and  Olean  Point  of  1,403 
feet,  it  will  be  observed  that  steam  navigation  on  the  Ohio 
has  already  reached  an  altitude  within  172  feet  of  the  main 
source  of  the  Mississippi. 

The  greatest  flood  of  the  Ohio  known,  occurred  in 
February,  1832,  when  the  river  attained  a  height  of  thirty- 
one  feet  at  Pittsburg,  forty-four  and  one-half  at  Wheeling, 
and  sixty-three  at  Cincinnati,  above  its  summer  level.  This 


398 


UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 


flood  reached  its  highest  mark  along  the  river,  at  the  follow- 
ing dates:  Pittsburg,  February  10;  Wheeling,  88  miles, 
February  11,  in  evening;  Marietta,  176  miles,  February  13, 
at  noon;  Maysville,  405  miles,  February  16,  at  night;  Cin- 
cinnati, 460  miles,  February  17,  at  midnight ;  and  Louisville, 
613  miles,  February  21,  in  morning.  By  this  statement,  it 
appears  that  the  flood  moved  from  Pittsburg  to  Cincinnati 
at  the  rate  of  about  two  and  one-half  miles  an  hour,  a 
velocity  much  less  than  the  center  current  of  the  river  at 
high  water. 

The  Missouri  river,  called  by  the  Algonquins,  Pekitanoui, 
or  Muddy  water,  and  by  Father  Membre,  the  "  Ozage 
river,"  is  next  to  the  Ohio  in  its  present  commerce,  but  as 
its  valley  settles  up  with  emigrants,  it  will  increase  with 
great  rapidity,  and  possibly  rival  the  Mississippi  itself. 

The  following  are  the  distances  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico, 
and  altitudes  above  tide  water,  of  the  several  points  here- 
after named,  as  given  by  Mr.  Nicolet  and  others : 

Distances  and  Altitudes  on  the  Missouri  river. 


Distance 

Altitude 

FROM   GULF   TO 

in  miles. 

in  feet. 

Mouth  Missouri   ----- 

1,408 

388 

Boonville         - 

1,604 

530 

Fort  Leavenworth           -            -            -            - 

1,820 

746 

Platt  River     -            -            -            -            - 

2,O26 

Council  Bluffs      -            -             -            -            - 

2,084 

1,024 

Fort  Pierre      - 

•2,664 

1,456 

Fort  Union            -            -            -            -             - 

3>277 

2,019 

Fort  Benton    -            -            -            -            - 

3,805 

2,780 

Highwood  Creek                           - 

3,820 

Great  Falls     -             -             -            -            - 

3,835 

Cadott's  Pass,  Rocky  mountains 

3,9°3 

6,044 

Sources  Missouri 

4,3oo 

These  facts  show  that  the  Missouri  is  nearly  1,410  miles 
longer  than  the  Mississippi,  and  that  it  is  already  navigated 
to  an  altitude  about  1,225  feet  above  Itasca  lake,  the  main 
source  of  the  latter  river. 


THE  MISSISSIPPI,  AND  ITS  NAVIGATION.  399 

The  late  Governor  Stevens  said,  in  his  report  on  the 
Pacific  Railroad  route,  that  the  Missouri  had  been  navi- 
gated to  Fort  Union  for  the  last  thirty  years,  by  steamers 
carrying  five  hundred  to  six  hundred  tons  freight,  and 
drawing  from  three  to  four  feet  of  water;  that  such 
steamers  had  often  ascended  as  high  as  Milk  river;  and 
that  steamers  of  two  hundred  tons  burthen  can  easily  go  as 
high  as  Highwood  creek,  within  fifteen  miles  of  the  Great 
falls. 

The  Great  falls  extend  eleven  and  a  half  miles,  with  five 
principal  cascades,  with  rapids  between,  with  a  total 
descent  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet.  The  principal  cas- 
cades descend  successively  twenty-five,  five,  forty-two, 
twelve,  and  seventy-six  feet.  The  three  principal  forks  of 
the  Missouri  above  the  falls  are  called  Gallatin,  Madison, 
and  JeiFerson,  and  have  their  several  sources  in  the  Rocky 
mountains  far  to  the  south  of  the  Great  falls. 

The'  clay  mud  that  colors  the  Missouri,  as  well  as  the 
Mississippi  after  the  junction  of  the  two,  is  mainly  derived 
from  the  Yellow  Stone,  a  tributary  that  forms  a  junction 
with  the  Missouri  at  Fort  Union.  It  is  a  stream  of  some 
importance,  and  is  reported  navigable  for  two  hundred 
miles. 

The  other  principal  tributaries  of  the  Mississippi  are  the 
Red,  Arkansas,  Illinois,  Des  Moines,  Rock,  Wisconsin, 
Iowa,  Black,  Chippeway,  St.  Croix,  and  Minnesota.  The 
first  two  named  are  each  understood  to  be  navigable  over 
1,000  miles  by  steamers.  The  number  of  miles  the  Missis- 
sippi and  its  tributaries  are  navigable  by  steamboats  has 
been  variously  estimated  at  from  10,000  to  15,000  miles, 
while  the  keel-boat  navigation  is  much  more  extensive. 

The  late  Hon.  Thomas  H.  Benton,  in  his  letter  to  the 
Chicago  convention,  dated  June  10th,  1847,  on  this  subject 
remarked :  "  Many  years  ago  the  late  Governor  Clark  and 
myself  undertook  to  calculate  the  extent  of  the  boatable 
water  in  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi ;  we  made  it  about 


400  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

50,000  miles,  of  which  30,000  were  computed  to  unite  above 
St.  Louis,  and  20,000  below.  Of  course,  we  counted  all  the 
infant  streams  on  which  a  flat,  a  keel,  or  a  batteau  could  be 
floated,  and  justly;  for  every  tributary  of  the  humblest 
beatable  character  helps  to  swell  not  only  the  volume  of  the 
central  waters  but  of  the  commerce  upon  them." 

The  original  canoe  of  the  Indian  was  superseded  by  the 
batteaux  of  the  early  French  voyageurs.  The  Spanish  often 
used  galleys  of  forty  oars  each  in  navigating  the  Mississippi, 
ten  of  which  came  from  New  Orleans  to  St.  Louis  with 
troops  in  1797.  The  early  settlers  of  the  Mississippi  valley 
for  many  years  carried  their  produce  and  stock  to  market, 
at  New  Orleans,  in  large,  flat-bottom  boats  and  arks,  that 
floated  down  the  river  with  no  other  propelling  power  than 
the  ordinary  current.  The  batteaux  are  now  commonly 
called  the  Mackinaw  boats,  and  carry  from  three-quarters 
to  three  tons.  The  flat  bottoms  are  often  called  barges,  and 
carry  from  thirty  to  one  hundred  tons.  The  writer  has  no 
data  from  which  he  can  tell  the  number  of  tons  burthen  of 
the  flat-bottom  boat  originally  navigated  by  our  illustrious 
late  President  of  the  United  States,  Abraham  Lincoln. 

At  the  period  of  the  introduction  of  steamers  on  the  Mis- 
sissippi, in  1812,  the  whole  commerce  from  New  Orleans  to 
the  upper  country  was  transported  in  about  twenty  barges, 
making  but  one  trip  each  year.  The  number  of  keel  boats 
on  the  Ohio  was  about  one  hundred  and  sixty.  The  total 
tonnage,  from  6,000  to  7,000  tons. 

The  first  steamboat  in  the  Mississippi  valley  was  built  at 
Pittsburg,  and  launched  in  October,  1811,  called  the  "  New 
Orleans."  It  was  run  to  Louisville,  where  it  was  detained 
by  low  water  for  some  three  weeks,  and  in  the  mean  time 
made  several  trips  to  Cincinnati.  The  last  week  in  Novem- 
ber it  resumed  its  trip  down  the  river,  was  nearly  over- 
whelmed by  an  earthquake,  but  finally  reached  Natchez  at 
the  close  of  the  first  week  in  January,  1812.  Having  been 
built  to  run  between  Natchez  and  New  Orleans,  it  probably 


THE  MISSISSIPPI,  AND  ITS  NAVIGATION.  401 

run  on  that  line,  and  was  said  to  have  been  of  service  to 
General  Jackson  at  the  great  battle  at  New  Orleans,  January 
8th,  1815,  but  evidently  did  not  attract  much  attention,  as 
some  have  doubted  its  ever  reaching  the  Mississippi,  and 
have  dated  the  commencement  of  steam  navigation  on  the 
Mississippi  in  1817. 

Eleven  other  steamers  were  built  on  the  Ohio  in  the  five 
years  following  1811,  with  a  total  tonnage  of  2,235. 

The  first  steamboat  which  arrived  at  St.  Louis  was  in 
1819.  The  first  steamer  to  St.  Peter's  river  was  the  "  Vir- 
ginia," one  hundred  and  eighteen  feet  long,  and  drawing 
six  feet  of  water,  which  arrived  in  May,  1823,  with  Major 
Taliafero,  our  Indian  agent,  and  Count  Beltrami,  as  passen- 
gers. From  this  period  they  began  to  increase  rapidly.  In 
1834  the  number  of  steamers  on  the  Mississippi  and  tribu- 
taries was  two  hundred  and  thirty,  with  a  tonnage  of 
39,000.  In  1840,  two  hundred  and  eighty-five,  with  a  ton- 
nage of  49,800.  In  1845,  the  tonnage  had  increased  to 
159,713. 

According  to  the  report  of  the  Treasury  department  of 
the  United  States  for  the  year  ending  June  30th,  1859,  the 
enrolled  tonnage  in  steam  navigation  in  the  several  districts 
in  the  Mississippi  valley  was  as  follows : 

Tonnage. 

New  Orleans     -                -                -                -                -  57?79O 

Nashville                    .....  5,120 

Memphis            .....  7,926 

Louisville                   .....  29,627 

St.  Louis           .....  54,515 

Galena        ......  5,362 

Cincinnati          .....  25,683 

Wheeling                    .....  13,480 

Pittsburg            .....  40,550 

Total  tonnage  of  steamers  -  -  -     258,053 

When  we  add  the  tonnage  of  other  vessels,  the  total  at 
each  point  is  as  follows : 
26 


402 

New  Orleans 

Nashville 

Memphis 

Louisville  - 

St.  Louis 

Galena 

Cincinnati 

Wheeling 

Pittsburg 


UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 


Total  of  tonnage 


Tonnage. 
2I5>4I7 

5,120 

7,926 
29,627 

60,760 

5*362 
29.515 

-  13,480 
55.576 

-  422,783 


From  this  it  appears  that  the  most  of  the  ship  and  canal- 
boat  building  is  confined  to  Pittsburg,  Cincinnati,  St.  Louis, 
and  New  Orleans.  This  latter  city  being  connected  with 
the  commerce  of  the  ocean,  does  nearly  twice  the  amount 
of  ship  building  that  it  does  of  steamboat  building. 

The  report  of  the  Treasurer  does  not  give  the  number  of 
steamers  enrolled ;  but  it  is  estimated  in  the  report  of  1851, 
on  the  colonial  and  lake  trade,  that  the  Ohio  boats  average 
about  206^-  tons ;  and  those  on  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri, 
273f-  tons.  If  we  average  them  at  240  tons,  we  have  1,075 
steamboats  running  on  the  Mississippi  and  its  tributaries, 
with  a  total  tonnage  of  258,053  for  the  year  1859. 

The  boats  manufactured  the  same  year  are  given  as 
follows : 


t 

0   « 

t 

• 

a 

of  a 

to 

« 

0 

8* 

s 

a 

4 

£     Q 

•2 

o 

GO  a 

• 

o 

Pittsburg      - 

8 

29 

4,588 

Wheeling            ... 

H 

1,511 

Cincinnati    -            -            -            - 

I 

20 

15 

6,999 

Louisville           - 

19 

3,702 

Paducah        - 

i 

114 

Galena                 ... 

i 

153 

St.  Louis      - 

2 

154 

New  Orleans      -            -            - 

10 

2 

2 

795 

Total 

II 

30 

83 

18,016 

THE  MISSISSIPPI,  ANI>  ITS  NAVIGATION.  403 

By  this  statement  it  appears  that  all  the  schooners  but 
one  were  built  at  New  Orleans,  and  that  nearly  one-third 
of  the  steamers  were  manufactured  at  Pittsburg,  one-sixth 
at  Wheeling,  over  one-sixth  at  Cincinnati,  over  one-fourth 
at  Louisville,  and  only  one  fortieth  at  either  St.  Louis  or 
New  Orleans.  Also,  that  most  of  the  steamers  were  built 
on  the  Ohio,  and  of  a  much  less  tonnage  than  the  previous 
average. 

The  progress  of  steam  navigation  on  the  upper  Mississippi 
was  extremely  slow  at  first.  From  1823  to  1844,  only  one 
or  two  trips  a  year  were  made  to  Fort  Snelling,  to  carry 
supplies  to  the  troops,  and  for  the  Indian  trade.  In  1844, 
the  number  of  arrivals  at  the  fort  were  forty-one.  From 
1844  to  1847,  the  little  steamers  Otter,  Rock  River,  and 
Lynx,  were  the  principal  boats  in  this  trade. 

In  1847,  on  the  8th  day  of  July,  the  Galena  and  Minne- 
sota Packet  Company  was  organized  at  Galena  by  the 
following  persons,  who  became  the  company : 

Captain  Orrin  Smith,  Galena ;  Henry  Corwith,  Galena ; 
B.  H.  Campbell,  Galena;  Captain  M.W.  Lodwick,  Galena; 
Captain  R.  Blakesly,  Galena;  Colonel  H.  L.  Dousman, 
Prairie  Du  Chien  ;  B.  W.  Brisbois,  Prairie  Du  Chien ;  Hon. 
H.  H.  Sibley,  St.  Paul ;  Hon.  H.  M.  Rice,  St.  Paul. 

The  first  boat  purchased  by  this  company  was  the 
"Argo,"  of  only  sixty  tons  burthen,  which  was  run  in  the 
St.  Paul  trade  until  October  of  the  same  year,  when  it  ran 
against  a  snag,  and  sunk  a  little  above  Winona. 

The  next  boat  was  the  "  Dr.  Franklin,"  purchased  the 
winter  of  1847-48  for  $13,500,  and  put  into  the  trade  in  the 
spring  of  1848.  In  1849  the  "  Senator"  was  added  to  the 
line,  but  in  the  fall  was  sold,  and  replaced  by  the  "Nomi- 
nee," which  was  run  by  Captain  O.  Smith,  the  late  president 
of  the  company.  It  was  not  run  as  a  Sunday  boat.  At 
twelve  o'clock  Saturday  night,  Captain  Smith  would  tie  up 
his  boat  to  an  island,  or  whatever  place  he  was  near,  and 
remain  until  twelve  o'clock  Sunday  night.  When  the  boat 


404  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

stopped  at  a  little  village,  the  Captain  would  invite  any 
clergyman  that  might  be  found,  to  preach,  on  the  Sabbath, 
on  the  boat.  Rev.  Mr.  Chester,  of  the  Methodist  church, 
once  enjoyed  the  Captain's  hospitality  at  La  Crosse,  in  the 
fall  of  1851,  and  held  morning  service.  The  "Nomenee," 
however,  suffered  the  fate  of  its  more  unchristian  brothers, 
and  was  snagged  and  sunk  in  the  fall  of  1854,  forty  miles 
below  La  Crosse. 

The  "  Ben  Campbell"  was  built  in  the  winter  of  1851-62, 
and  put  in  the  trade  in  the  spring,  but  drew  too  much  water, 
and  was  sold  in  the  fall  of  1852.  During  the  season  of  1852, 
an  opposition  boat,  called  the  "  West  Newton,"  was  put 
into  the  trade  from  Galena  to  St.  Paul,  by  the  Harrises  of 
Galena,  and  run  against  the  Nominee.  The  "  West  New- 
ton "  was  a  gallant  little  boat,  and  about  an  equal  match  for 
the  Nominee.  During  this  opposition,  on  the  10th  of  May, 
1852,  the  Nominee,  Captain  Smith,  prepared  for  a  race  to 
St.  Paul,  and  although  the  "  West  Newton  "  did  not  run, 
yet  Captain  Smith  run  on  time,  and  made  the  trip  to  St. 
Paul  and  back  to  Galena  in  two  days,  seven  hours  and 
forty-nine  minutes  —  a  round  trip  of  eight  hundred  miles. 
In  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  the  Harrises  were  permitted  to 
join  the  Galena  company,  and  their  boat  afterwards  run  in 
the  line. 

In  the  spring  of  1854,  the  "  War  Eagle,"  "  Galena,"  and 
"Royal  Arch,"  were  added  to  the  line,  and  in  1855,  the 
"  Golden  Era,"  "Alhambra,"  "  Lady  Franklin,"  and  "  City 
Bell,"  were  added. 

In  June,  1856,  the  opening  of  the  Galena  and  Chicago 
Union  Railroad  gave  a  great  impetus  to  the  business, 
and  the  packet  company  added  to  their  line  of  boats  the 
"  Northern  Bell,"  "  Ocean  Wave,"  "  Granite  State,"  "  Greek 
Slave,"  and  "  Black  Hawk." 

Several  boats  besides  the  "Nominee"  were  sunk  during 
this  time:  namely,  "West  Newton,"  in  the  fall  of  1853, 
near  Alma;  "Dr.  Franklin,"  seven  miles  above  Dubuque,  by 


THE  MISSISSIPPI,  AND  ITS  WAVIGATION.  405 

colliding  with  the  "Galena,"  in  June,  1854.  In  1856,  the 
"  Galena  "  was  burned. 

Trade  fell  off  considerably  in  1858,  and  subsequently,  but 
in  1861  the  packet  company  increased  its  number  of  incor- 
porators  to  about  one  hundred,  and  its  capital  to  $400,000, 
and  run  the  following  boats  in  the  upper  trade  : 

"  War  Eagle,"  "  Alhambra,"  "  City  Bell,"  "  Fanny  Har- 
ris," "Northern  Light,"  "Key  City,"  "Northern  Bell," 
"  Golden  Era,"  "  Ocean  Wave,"  "  Flora,"  "  Grey  Eagle," 
"  Milwaukee,"  "  Itasca." 

Some  of  these  boats  were  of  the  first  class,  and  might 
well  have  been  called  "  floating  palaces." 

The  "  Milwaukee  "  cost  the  company  $39,000 ;  "  Grey 
Eagle,"  $43,000;  and  the  "Key  City,"  and  "Northern 
Light,"  each  about  the  same. 

The  "Key  City"  was  built  at  Cincinnati,  in  1857,  was 
250  feet  long,  35  feet  wide,  359f  f  tons  burthen,  51  state- 
rooms, and  four  high-pressure  boilers,  17  feet  long,  38  inches 
in  diameter,  and  have  been  subject  to  a  pressure  of  200 
pounds  to  the  square  inch.  The  "  War  Eagle  "  and  "  Ga- 
lena," were  of  a  smaller  class  of  boats,  the  former  being  but 
296^  tons  burthen,  with  46  state-rooms,  and  3  high-pressure 
boilers,  14  feet  long  each.  It^is  219  feet  long,  and  29  feet 
wide,  and  was  built  at  Cincinnati,  in  the  winter  of  1853-54. 

The  Galena  Packet  Company  finally  reorganized  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1864,  under  the  laws  of  the  State  of  Iowa,  with  a 
cash  capital  of  $400,000,  under  the  name  of  "  The  North- 
western Packet  Company,"  with  general  powers  to  run 
steamers,  and  do  a  passenger  and  freight  business  between 
Dubuque  and  St.  Paul.  The  company  was  bound  by  con- 
tract with  the  Milwaukee  and  Prairie  Du  Chien  Railroad 
Company,  to  carry  freight  and  passengers  for  that  company 
between  the  latter  place  and  St.  Paul. 

In  the  fall  of  1865,  the  North-western  Company  were 
running  the  following  steamers  in  the  trade :  "  Milwau- 
kee," "Itasca,"  "Northern  Light,"  "Key  City,"  "War 


406  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

Eagle ; "  all  first-class  passenger  steamers.  They  also  run 
three  light-draught  boats  for  low  water,  and  three  additional 
steamers  for  freight  and  towing  barges. 

The  officers  of  the  new  company  for  1865  were:  John 
Lawler,  President ;  George  A.  Blanchard,  Secretary  and 
Treasurer ;  and  William  E.  Wellington,  Superintendent. 
The  central  office  was  located  at  Dubuque,  where  the  two 
latter  gentlemen  resided. 

On  the  first  day  of  October,  1858,  the  La  Crosse  and 
Milwaukee  Railroad  was  completed,  and  opened  through  to 
the  Mississippi  at  La  Crosse,  and  much  of  the  business  of 
the  boats  passed  over  this  road. 

In  1860,  an  independent,  or  opposition,  line  of  steamboats 
was  run  from  La  Crosse  to  St.  Paul,  by  Mr.  Davidson  and 
others,  which  the  Galena  Packet  Company  made  a  spirited 
but  unsuccessful  effort  to  run  off;  failing  in  this,  they  com- 
promised, by  forming  with  Davidson  and  others,  a  combina- 
tion, on  the  17th  of  August,  1861,  which  has  since  done  a 
large  business. 

In  1863,  the  La  Crosse  and  St.  Paul  line  ran  in  connec- 
tion with  the  La  Crosse  and  Milwaukee  Railroad,  the  fol- 
lowing boats  : 

"  McLellan,"  Captain  P.  S.  Davidson  ;  "  Keokuk,"  Cap- 
tain J.  R.  Hatcher  ;  "  Northern  Bell,"  Captain  John  Coch- 
ran ;  "  Frank  Steele,"  Captain  Martin ;  "  Clara  Hine," 
Captain  J.  Newton ;  "  G.  H.  Wilson,"  Captain  William 
Butler  ;  ".<Eolian,"  Captain  Sencerbox. 

Running  above  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony,  "Anne  Cutler," 
"  Enterprise,"  and  "  Gray  Cloud." 

Running  on  the  Chippewa  river :  "  John  Rumsey," 
Captain  Nathaniel  Harris ;  "  Chippewa  Falls,"  Captain  L. 
Fulton. 

Running  on  the  St.  Croix :  "  Wenona,"  Captain  L. 
Brown. 

Running  on  the  Minnesota :     "  Pomeroy,"  Captain  Bell ; 


•  THE  MISSISSIPPI,  AND  ITS  NAVIGATION.  407 

"  Stella  Whipple,"  Captain  Haycock ;  "Albany,*'  Captain 
Norris  ;  —  in  all,  1 6. 

These  boats  were  all  light-draught,  and  were  seldom 
stopped  by  low  water,  although  the  low  water  of  1863  was 
extremely  embarrassing.  Nearly  the  same  steamers  were 
running  in  1865* 

The  combination  of  the  steamboat  interest  proving  unsatis- 
factory, the  new  North-western  Packet  company  and  the  La 
Crosse  line,  generally  called  "  Davidson's  Line,"  on  the  1st 
of  May,  1866,  consolidated  into  a  new  company,  under  the 
general  laws  of  the  State  of  Iowa,  at  Dubuque,  and  organ- 
ized a  company  which  they  called  the  "  North-western 
Union  Packet  Company,"  and  elected  the  following  officers : 
William  F.  Davidson,  of  St.  Paul,  president ;  John  Lawler, 
of  Prairie  Du  Chien,  general  manager;  Geo.  A.  Blanchard, 
of  Dubuque,  secretary;  William  Rhodes,  of  St.  Paul, 
treasurer ;  and  William  E.  Wellington,  of  Dubuque,  and 
P.  S.  Davidson,  La  Crosse,  superintendents. 

The  general  office  of  the  company  is  located  at  Dubuque, 
Iowa;  and  the  company  organized  with  a  capital  of 
$1,500,000,  and  put  immediately  into  the  trade  thirty 
steamers  and  seventy-three  barges.  The  officers  are  men 
of  character  and  great  energy,  and  the  company  will  be  a 
power  that  will  be  felt  for  good  or  evil. 

The  following  table  will  show  the  time  of  the  opening 
and  closing  of  navigation  at  St.  Paul,  Minnesota,  the 
number  of  arrivals  at  that  point  per  year,  and  the  length  of 
the  season  of  navigation : 


408  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

Date  of  Opening  and  Closing  Navigation  at  St.  Paul. 


First  Boat. 

River  Closed. 

'c'a 

<! 

Length  of 
Season. 

o  v> 

6§ 
£« 

Tonnage. 

1844,  April  6  
184';,       "     6.. 

Nov.  23  
"      26  

41 
48 

23I 
274 

1846,  March  31    .... 

Dec.     5  

24- 

24-s 

1847,  April  7   
1848,              7  

l84Q,                     Q.  . 

Nov.  29  
Dec.     4  

7  .  . 

47 
63 

or 

236 
241 

24.2 

2 

240 

1850,                  IQ    

4  

IO4 

22O 

1851,             4  
18:52,           16  

Nov.    8  
18  

II9 

171 

218 
216 

18^7,,           ii  .. 

TO  .  . 

2OO 

277 

i8c4,             8.  . 

27   .  . 

2^6 

227 

l8^»              17.  . 

2O  

r6o 

217 

1856,           18  

IO 

8C7 

212 

1857,  May    i  

1,026 

198 

1858,  March  25.  

1C    

1.  068 

276 

62 

I2.7O1 

1859,  April    19  

27  .  . 

808 

222 

rr 

1860,  March  28  

27    

77  r 

24O 

l8,27Q 

1861,  April  8  

26   

n-?7 

271 

From  this  table,  compiled  from  the  "  Statistics  of  Minne- 
sota," it  appears  that  from  1844  to  1861,  inclusive,  the 
shortest  season  was  in  1857,  from  May  1st  to  November 
14th,  of  one  hundred  and  ninety-eight  days;  and  that  the 
longest  season  was  in  1846,  from  March  31st  to  December 
5th,  of  two  hundred  and  forty-five  days'  navigation;  and 
that  the  average  tonnage  of  the  boats,  in  1858,  was  nearly 
two  hundred  and  five  tons. 

The  steamboat  business  at  St.  Paul  was  divided  with 
different  points,  as  indicated  by  the  arrivals  for  1861,  as 
follows : 


From  Pittsburg 

"  St.  Louis 

"  Dunleith 

"  La  Crosse 

"  Fox  lake 

"  Minnesota  river 

"  Stillwater 


4  arrivals. 

99        " 

-  236 
273 

-  3        " 
318        « 


THE  MISSISSIPPI,  AND  ITS  NAVIGATION.  409 

According  to  the  census  return  for  1850,  the  total  popu- 
lation of  the  Unite'd  States  was  23,191,876,  arid  was  divided 
as  follows : 

Pacific  slope    -  -                ...                 117,271 

Mississippi  valley  -     8,641,7154 

Atlantic  slope  12,729,859 

Gulf  slope  -     1,702,992 

The  full  returns  of  the  census  of  1860  have  not  yet  been 
published  according  to  the  geographical  divisions ;  but  if 
we  take  the  ratio  from  1840  to  1850,  we  shall  find  that  the 
Mississippi  valley  in  1860  had  a  population  of  about 
13,000,000. 

In  the  compendium  of  the  census  for  1850,  published  by 
the  United  States,  the  States  and  territories  are  put  down 
at  2,936,166  square  miles,  and  are  divided  as  follows : 

Pacific  slope    -                                                                  -  766,002 

Atlantic  slope,          -                                  ...  514,416 

Northern  lake  and  Red  R.  region                -                -  112,649 

Gulf  region               .....  325,1537 

Mississippi  valley           ....  1,217,562 


Total  -    2,936,166 

From  this  statement  it  will  be  seen  that  over  two-fifths 
of  the  whole  territory  of  the  United  States  is  drained  by 
the  waters  of  the  Mississippi  and  its  tributaries ;  and  if  we 
add  to  this  the  Gulf  region,  and  the  Lake  and  Red  River 
region,  we  shall  have  nearly  three-fifths  of  the  entire  terri- 
tory of  the  United  States.  By  comparing  this  central 
region  with  Europe,  we  find  that  it  exceeds  all  the  balance 
of  Europe  after  taking  out  Russia  and  Portugal. 

The  acclivity  of  the  surface,  east,  west,  and  north  of  tho 
Mississippi,  is  so  gentle,  as  neither  to  affect  the  navigation 
of  the  tributaries,  nor  impede  the  cultivation  of  the  soil ; 
while  the  southern  portion  is  not  too  warm,  or  the  northern 
too  cold,  to  effect  more  than  to  give  a  variety  to  the 
26* 


410  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

vegetable  productions.  Upon  its  varied  soil  may  be  grown 
nearly  every  article  necessary  for  the  comfort  of  man,  and 
its  inexhaustible  grain  fields  have  become  almost  the 
granary  of  the  world. 

In  its  mineral  productions  it  is  on  quite  as  grand  a  scale. 
Gold  and  silver  are  abundant  along  a  large  part  of  the 
eastern  slope  of  the  Rocky  mountains ;  iron  rises  into  hills 
in  Missouri,  Michigan,  and  Wisconsin  ;  lead  underlies  large 
districts  in  Iowa,  Illinois,  Wisconsin,  and  Missouri ;  copper 
and  zinc  are  abundant,  and  gypsum  is  generally  dissemi- 
nated in  every  State  and  territory ;  and  in  the  south-west, 
on  the  head  waters  of  the  Red  and  Arkansas  rivers,  it 
occupies  a  region  of  more  than  2,000  square  miles. 

Salt  is  found  in  springs  in  most  of  the  valleys,  and  as  rock 
salt  in  Missouri,  and  at  the  bottom  of  the  salt  wells  in  Ohio. 

Coal  exists  in  vast  quantities  in  every  State  and  territory 
except  Wisconsin  and  Minnesota.  Along  the  head  waters 
of  the  Missouri  and  its  western  tributaries,  nearly  to  the 
Gulf,  it  is  believed  to  exist  in  greater  quantities  than  at  any 
other  locality  on  the  globe. 

Coal  oil,  which  is  now  attracting  so  much  attention,  is 
found  in  south-eastern  Ohio,  western  Pennsylvania,  and 
north-western  Virginia.  The  most  extensive  and  produc- 
tive deposit  now  known  is  on  the  Little  Kanawha,  about 
thirty  miles  above Parkersburg.  In  this  locality,  four  hundred 
barrels  are  said  to  have  run  out  of  one  well  in  five  hours. 

But  the  writer  need  not  enlarge  upon  the  natural  advan- 
tages which  the  great  Creator  has  congregated  in  this  lovely 
valley  of  the  Mississippi  for  the  benefit  of  man.  However, 
as  numerous  as  they  are,  but  few  of  them  can  be  enjoyed  to 
advantage  unless  the  navigation  of  the  Mississippi  and  its 
tributaries  are  free  from  the  control  of  the  enemies  of  the 
people  who  inhabit  the  valley.  No  divided  authority  can 
control  the  great  interest  here  involved  for  any  length  of 
time.  It  must  and  will  be  under  one  government. 

The  great  southern  statesman,  Hon.  John  C.  Calhoun, 


THE  MISSISSIPPI,  AND  ITS  NAVIGATION.  411 

speaking  on  this  subject  in  his  report  to  the  United  States 
Senate,  on  the  26th  of  January,  1846,  on  the  subject  of  the 
resolutions  of  the  Memphis  convention,  remarked :  "  So 
urgent,  indeed,  is  the  necessity  of  a  common  power  to  regu- 
late its  commerce,  that  it  may  be  safely  affirmed  that  it 
would  require  a  confederation  among  the  States  on  its 
borders  for  that  purpose,  as  the  only  means  of  preserving 
peace,  and  preventing  the  most  deadly  conflicts  among 
them ;  destructive  alike  of  their  commerce  and  prosperity, 
had  not  the  constitution  divested  the  States  of  the  power, 
and  delegated  it  to  the  federal  government." 

The  free  navigation  of  the  Mississippi  early  attracted  the 
attention  of  the  government  of  the  United  States.  By  the 
ordinance  of  1787,  Congress  declared  that  "the  navigable 
waters  leading  into  the  Mississippi  and  St.  Lawrence,  and 
the  carrying  places  between  the  same,  shall  be  common 
highways  and  for  ever  free,  as  well  to  the  inhabitants  of  the 
said  territory  as  to  the  citizens  of  the  United  States,  and 
those  of  any  other  State  that  may  be  admitted  into  the  con- 
federacy, without  any  tax,  duty,  or  impost  therefor."  - 

Again,  in  1788,  Congress  "Resolved  that  the  free  navi- 
gation of  the  river  Mississippi  is  a  clear  and  essential  right 
of  the  United  States." 

The  constitution,  also,  virtually  declares  that  the  naviga- 
tion of  this  river  shall  be  free,  when  it  says,  "  Vessels  bound 
to  or  from  one  State  shall  not  be  obliged  to  enter,  clear,  or 
pay  duties  in  another." 

By  a  treaty  with  Spain  of  the  27th  of  October,  1795, 
during  Washington's  administration,  Spain  finally  granted 
to  the  United  States  the  free  navigation  of  the  river. 

October  1st,  1800,  Spain  ceded  Louisiana  to  France,  and, 
October  16th,  1802,  the  intendant,  Morales,  closed  the  port 
of  New  Orleans  to  our  commerce.  Finally,  April  30th, 
1803,  the  United  States,  being  aware  of  the  difficulties 
existing  if  the  lower  portion  of  the  Mississippi  continued 
under  the  control  of  a  foreign  government,  by  a  treaty  at 


412  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

Paris,  purchased  Louisiana  for  $15,000,000,  and  thereby 
secured  the  undisputed  navigation  of  the  Mississippi  and 
all  its  tributaries,  from  their  sources  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico ; 
and  Governor  Clairborne,  of  Mississippi,  and  General  Wil- 
kinson, of  the  United  States  army,  took  possession  of  New 
Orleans  December  20th  of  the  same  year,  and  upper 
Louisiana  was  surrendered  to  Major  Amos  Stoddard,  at  St. 
Louis,  March  10th,  1804. 

The  Memphis  convention,  before  alluded  to,  which  was 
held  the  12th  of  November,  1845,  and  composed  of  five 
hundred  and  eighty-three  delegates,  "  Resolved,  That  safe 
communication  between  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  the  interior, 
afforded  by  the  navigation  of  the  Mississippi  and  Ohio 
rivers,  and  their  principal  tributaries,  is  indispensable  to 
the  defence  of  the  country  in  time  of  war,  and  essential  also 
to  its  commerce." 

The  following  remarks  from  "  De  Bow's  Review,"  on  this 
subject,  are  also  very  pertinent :  "  The  free  and  uninter- 
rupted navigation  of  these  great  inland  waters  must,  of 
course;  be  a  matter  of  prime  interest  to  the  country.  They 
are  to  the  populous  nations  on  their  banks,  as  the  ocean 
itself,  over  which  commerce,  not  kings,  presides.  No  con- 
struction of  State  powers  as  contradistinguished  from 
Federal,  can  exclude  these  arteries  of  trade  from  the  pale 
of  government  regard  and  protection." 

To  those  who  have  their  homes  located  in  the  upper  Mis- 
sissippi valley,  the  free  navigation  of  the  Mississippi  to  the 
Gulf  becomes  of  paramount  importance.  They  think  that 
no  flag  save  that  of  our  Union  should  be  permitted  to  wave 
over  1,200  miles  of  this  great  highway  between  them  and 
the  ocean,  demanding  tribute  of  our  commerce,  much  less 
should  that  tribute  be  paid  to  a  fraction  of  the  Union,  inas- 
much as  the  free  navigation  was  purchased  with  the  joint 
funds  of  the  whole  nation ;  and  the  late  pressure  from  the 
north-west  upon  the  great  southern  rebellion,  has  demon- 


THE  MTSSISSIPri,  AND  ITS  NAVIGATION. 


413 


strated  that  they  do  not  intend  to  be  misunderstood  on  this 
question.* 

Since  the  close  of  the  war,  the  subject  of  the  improve- 
ment of  the  navigation  of  the  Mississippi  and  its  tributaries 
has  again  revived,  and  an  important  convention  was  held  at 
St.  Louis,  February  13th,  1867,  to  consider  that  subject. 
The  committee  on  resolutions  were  the  following  prominent 
gentlemen :  Indiana,  Charles  H.  Mekin,  A.  F.  Wemple ; 
Pennsylvania,  R.  C.  Gray,  Joseph  Knapp;  Minnesota,  E. 

D.  Williams,  W.  D.  Washburn  ;  Illinois,  William  Eggleston, 
O.   C.  Skinner;  Tennessee,  W.  B.  Grau,  H.  Hiner;  Ohio, 
Theo.  Cook,  A.  D.  Geshern ;  Wisconsin,  R.  C.  Libby,  Major 

E.  Paine ;  Missouri,  Judge  Samuel  Treat,  James  B.  Earls ; 
Louisiana,  W.  JefF.  Thompson,  E.  B.  Briggs ;  Kentucky, 
R.  H.  Watford,  B.  C.  Live ;  Michigan,  J.  C.  Joy,  A.  W. 
Copeland ;  Iowa,  General  H.  L.  Reed,  H.  W.  Starr. 

This  committee  reported  the  following,  which  were 
adopted  by  the  convention : 

"  Resolved,  That  the  interests  of  the  whole  Mississippi 
valley  require  the  immediate  improvement  by  the  national 
government  of  the  Mississippi  river  from  the  Belize  to  the 
Falls  of  St.  Anthony,  including  especially  the  bar  at  the 
Belize,  the  upper  and  lower  rapids,  and  the  removal  of  the 
obstructions  above  these  rapids ;  and  also  the  Ohio  river, 
from  Cairo  to  Pittsburg,  and  especially  the  work  at  the  falls 
of  the  Ohio ;  said  improvements  to  secure  the  navigation 
of  said  rivers  free  from  all  tolls  or  tribute. 

"  Resolved,  That  the  vast  importance  of  such  action  as 
will  secure  the  needed  improvements  at  an  early  day  of  the 
following  rivers  is  commended  to  the  favorable  and  earnest 
consideration  of  Congress,  viz. :  The  Missouri  river,  from 

*  NOTE. — The  north-western  States  furnished  the  following  num- 
ber of  soldiers  for  the  Union  army  of  the  gre.at  rebellion  : 


Ohio   3l7,13o  Kansas 

Indiana 105,147  Illinois 25SJ21T 

Wisconsin 96,1 18 [Michigan 90,119 

Minnesota 25,034)  Missouri 108,773 


0,097  Iowa 75,860 


Total 1,186,498 


4l4  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

the  mouth  of  Fort  Benton,  the  Illinois  river,  the  Red  river, 
the  Tennessee  river  to  Chattanooga,  the  Wisconsin  river  to 
the  Fox  river,  the  Arkansas  river  to  Fort  Smith,  and  the 
Cumberland  river  to  Nashville. 

"  Resolved,  That  when  the  financial  condition  of  the 
country  may  justify,  Congress  be  requested  to  cause  proper 
investigations  to  be  made  as  to  the  necessity  of  improving 
hereafter  all  the  other  rivers  of  the  Mississippi  valley. 

"  Resolved,  That  Congress  should  so  legislate  on  the  sub- 
ject of  bridging  the  Mississippi  and  other  navigable  rivers 
of  the  United  States  as  will,  while  recognizing  the  equal 
importance  of  railroad  and  river  transportation,  harmonize 
the  interests  by  securing  proper  facilities  for  both." 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


THE    GREAT    LAKES,    AND    THEIK    NAVIGATION. 


WHEN  we  contemplate  the  magnificent  proportions  of  the 
north-western  lakes,  we  are  struck  with  the  grandeur  which 
they  exhibit  to  the  human  mind ;  and  we  become  absorbed 
in  the  questions  whether  the  Creator  really  shaped  them  for 
the  convenience  of  commerce,  or  whether  it  was  a  pure 
accident  or  freak  of  mother  earth,  when  its  crust  was 
cooled  down  to  a  temperature  fit  for  the  habitation  of  man. 
Whichever  way  we  decide  the  question,  we  are  still  bound 
to  admire  their  peculiar  adaptation  to  the  wants  of  civiliza- 
tion, and  often  thank  God  that  we  are  permitted  to  have 
them  for  our  enjoyment.  These  lakes  are  not  only  distin- 
guished from  those  of  other  countries  by  their  magnitude 
and  depth,  but  in  the  purity  of  their  waters,  which  is  not 
exceeded  by  the  bubbling  fountain  gushing  fresh  from  the 
mountain  base. 

The  following  table  will  show  at  a  glance  the  physical 
character  of  these  lakes,  with  their  height  above  tide  water : 


€ 

1 

i 

^ 

S 

~   V 

£  8 

•g. 

a" 

11 

s  s 

•o  'g 

.8   . 

£  S 

g 

1 

«*" 

>3 

3 

5S 

cS 

* 

H 

» 

180 

35 

500 

832 

6,300 

Erie    

240 

80 

84 

565 

9,600 

Huron  

260 

160 

900 

574 

20,400 

320 

100 

900 

578 

22,000 

855 

160 

900 

627 

32,000 

416  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

These  lakes  are  all  connected  with  each  other  by  rivers, 
and  with  the  ocean  by  the  St.  Lawrence  river;  and  the 
obstruction  to  navigation  by  the  Niagara  Falls,  having  been 
surmounted  by  the  Welland  canal,  and  St.  Mary's  Falls  by 
Sault  St.  Mary  canal,  vessels  not  exceeding  130  feet  keel,  26 
beam,  and  10  feet  draught,  can  now  load  at  any  of  the  lake 
ports,  and  pass  down  to  the  ocean  without  transhipment  of 
freight.  These  lakes  are  estimated  to  drain  a  region  of 
country  containing  an  area  ol  335,515  square  miles. 

In  tracing  the  effects  of  civilization  on  the  commerce  of 
the  north-west,  the  historian  ought  to  be  possessed  of  the 
data  of  the  commerce  which  had  been  carried  on  by  the 
barbarian  nations,  long  before  they  were  visited  by  the 
white  race;  but  this  data  can  not  be  reached  with  any 
degree  of  certainty  at  the  present  day,  and  can  only  be 
approximated  from  the  knowledge  we  may  gain  of  their 
manners  and  customs.  We  know  that  the  ancient  Mound- 
Builders,  on  the  Ohio  river,  had  sea-shells  which  must  have 
come  from  the  ocean,  and  copper  and  silver,  which  probably 
came  from  Lake  Superior;  and  while  these  metals  might 
have  been  found  in  the  drift  deposits  of  Illinois  and  Wis- 
consin, there  is  no  conceivable  way  that  the  other  articles 
could  have  been  obtained  short  of  the  ocean  or  Gulf  of 
Mexico.  The  evidence  is  also  regarded  as  conclusive,  that 
the  ancient  Mound-Builders  were  an  agricultural  people,  and 
by  the  ordinary  laws  of  production  and  human  wants,  it  is 
reasonable  to  suppose  that  crops  might  have  failed  by 
drouth  and  frosts  in  one  locality,  and  been  supplied  by 
another ;  and  so  investigating  from  cause  to  effect,  we  come 
to  the  conclusion  that  the  Mound-Builders  carried  on  a 
considerable  commerce  throughout  all  the  north-west.  Their 
successors,  being  a  far  more  warlike  people,  paid  little 
attention  to  agriculture,  and  therefore  had  no  great  neces- 
sity for  commerce,  except  what  might  gratify  their  fancy 
or  superstition.  The  modern  Indians,  however,  were  known 


THE  GREAT  LAKES,  AND  THEIR  NAVIGATION.  417 

to  have  been  great  travelers,  and  with  their  bark  canoes 
fearlessly  undertook  a  journey  of  one  thousand  miles. 

When  Sieur  Champlain  visited  Lake  Huron  in  1615,  he 
opened  a  commerce  with  the  north-western  tribes,  and, 
except  when  blockaded  by  the  Iroquois,  these  north-western 
tribes  annually  visited  Quebec  and  the  "  Three  Rivers," 
with  large  fleets  of  canoes  loaded  with  furs  and  skins,  which 
they  exchanged  for  guns,  powder,  lead,  blankets,  and  trin- 
kets. Thus  we  find  incidentally  mentioned  in  the  Jesuit 
Relations,  that  in  1656,  three  hundred  Indians  arrived  in 
bark  canoes;  1660,  a  fleet  of  sixty  canoes;  1663,  thirty-five 
canoes  of  Outaouaks ;  1665,  there  "  arrived  at  Three  Rivers 
a  hundred  canoes  of  Outaouaks,  and  some  other  savages  of 
our  allies,  who  came  from  the  region  of  Lake  Superior, 
about  four  or  five  hundred  leagues  from  here,  to  carry  on 
their  ordinary  commerce,  and  to  supply  themselves  with 
what  they  need,  giving  us  in  exchange  their  beaver  skins, 
which  are  very  abundant  with  them." 

The  beaver  trade  in  Canada  was  granted  by  the  king  in 
1628  to  a  company  which  failed  to  protect  itself  and  the 
country  from  the  Indians,  and  consequently  surrendered 
their  monopoly  to  the  people  in  1664,  for  one  thousand 
beaver  annually,  as  "  Seigniorage,"  and  then  further  surren- 
dered their  right  to  one  thousand  beaver  to  the  king ;  and 
the  king  then  granted  the  trade  to  the  West  India  Company, 
with  power  to  nominate  all  officers  of  the  colony.  This 
company  demanded  one-fourth  of  the  beavers,  and  the  tenth 
of  the  moose  skins  of  all  persons  engaged  in  the  fur  trade, 
which  demand  was  declared  to  be  legal  by  the  king  in  1666  ; 
and  in  1676,  the  king  expressly  prohibited  all  persons 
"  invested  with  ecclesiastical  or  secular  dignity  "  to  engage 
in  it. 

The  value  of  the  fur  trade  can  not  easily  be  ascertained, 

but  M.  Talon  wrote  the  King  of  France,  in  1670,  that  the 

English  of  New  York,  Albany,  and  Boston,  obtained  over 

twelve  thousand  livres  worth  of  beaver  annually,  "  trapped 

27 


418  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

by  the  Iroquois  in  countries  subject  to  the  king."  The 
English  obtained  large  quantities,  annually,  through  the 
Iroquois,  who  carried  on  their  trade  with  the  western 
Indians  through  the  valley  of  the  Ohio  to  the  Mississippi. 

Although  the  French  of  Canada  had  greatly  the  advan- 
tage in  this  trade  with  the  Indians,  yet,  as  the  English  paid 
fifty  per  cent,  more  for  the  furs,  the  French  were  troubled 
with  a  contraband  trade,  constantly  carried  on  with  the 
French  and  English  traders,  by  which  the  authorities  of 
Canada  were  cheated  out  of  their  one-fourth  of  the  furs. 
For  instance,  in  1689,  the  prices  were  stated  as  follows: 

Tlie  Indian  pays  for  At  Albany,     At  Montreal, 

Eight  pounds  of  powder  one  beaver  four. 

A  gun  -  -      two  beavers  five. 

Forty  pounds  of  lead       -  -                         one  beaver  three. 

A  blanket  of  red  cloth  -                         -      one  beaver  two. 

A  white  blanket   -    .        -  -            one  beaver  two. 

Four  shirts      -  -      one  beaver  two. 

Six  pair  of  stockings       -  one  beaver  two. 

Six  quarts  rum  -      one  beaver 

One  pint  to  one  quart  brandy     -  -  one. 

In  1703,  the  fur  trade  in  Canada  was  estimated,  in  a 
French  document,  as  being  worth  two  million  livres  an- 
nually. 

The  English  made  an  attempt  to  establish  trading-posts 
at  Detroit  and  Mackinaw  in  1686,  and  the  following  year, 
Major  Me  Gregory  and  his  party  of  sixty  English  and  some 
Indians,  with  thirty-two  canoes  and  Indian  goods,  on  their 
way  to  Detroit,  were  plundered  by  the  French  on  Lake 
Erie,  and  the  prisoners  sent  to  Montreal.  From  this  time, 
the  French  took  possession,  and  established  trading-posts 
through  the  whole  north-west,  which  they  held  until  the 
surrender  of  Canada  in  1760.  When  the  English  came  in 
possession  of  Canada,  they  took  possession  of  these  trading- 
posts,  and  held  them  until  1796,  when  they  were  finally 
surrendered  to  the  United  States. 


THE  GREAT  LAKES,  AND  THEIR  NAVIGATION.  421 

At  the  close  of  the  war  of  the  revolution  in  1783,  several 
of  the  merchants  of  Montreal  formed  a  partnership  for  the 
fur  trade,  and  in  1787  united  with  another  *  company,  and 
formed  the  "  North-west  Company."  The  Mackinaw 
Company  was  subsequently  formed,  with  head-quarters  at 
Mackinaw.  In  1809,  John  Jacob  Astor  organized  himself 
into  the  "American  Fur  Company,"  and  in  1811,  with  some 
others,  bought  out  the  Mackinaw  Company,  and  organized 
another,  called  the  "  South-west  Company."  The  war  of 
1812  suspended  its  operations,  and  at  the  close  of  the  war  it 
was  eifectually  dissolved  by  an  act  of  Congress,  prohibiting 
British  fur  traders  from  prosecuting  their  business  in  the 
United  States.  Mr.  Astor  then  purchased  the  property  of 
the  South-west  Company,  and  reorganized  the  "American 
Fur  Company,"  which  monopolized  the  fur  trade  in  the 
north-west  for  many  years  subsequently. 

For  this  company,  Mackinaw  was  made  the  general  depot 
for  Indian  goods  in  the  north-west,  from  which  place  goods 
were  transported  to  central  points  between  Mackinaw  and 
the  Rocky  mountains.  The  country  west  of  the  Rocky 
mountains  was  supplied  from  Astoria,  on  the  Columbia 
river.  Prairie  Du  Chien  had  a  sub-depot,  and  supplied  the 
traders  along  the  Mississippi  river,  and  was  superintended 
by  Mr.  Lockwood  for  several  years,  until  1827,  when  it  was 
put  in  charge  of  Colonel  H.  L.  Dousman.  The  manner  of 
conducting  the  trade  was  to  fit  out  a  clerk  as  trader,  with 
from  |1,000  to  $1,500  worth  of  goods,  in  the  fall  of  the  year. 
The  clerk  was  provided  with  canoes,  and  two  or  three  voy- 
ageurs,  or  boatmen.  The  goods  were  carefully  loaded  in 
the  boats,  when  the  clerk  and  boatmen  paddled  the  canoes 
along  the  water-courses,  to  the  location  of  some  band  or 
tribe  of  Indians  where  it  was  designed  to  spend  the  winter 
to  trade.  Here  a  log  cabin  was  erected,  which  constituted 
the  kitchen,  bed-room  and  store.  Where  trade  was  carried 
on  by  the  same  persons  for  several  winters  at  the  same 


422  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

point,  additions  were  generally  made  to  the  cabin  of  a 
kitchen  arid  bed-rooms. 

Here,  far  from  civilization  or  moral  restraint,  the  clerk  and 
his  voyageurs  spent  the  winter,  in  trading  with  the  Indians, 
hunting,  and  drinking  more  or  less  whisky.  The  clerk 
generally  secured  some  influential  Indian's  daughter  as  his 
mistress,  and  took  her  into  his  cabin,  while  the  voyageurs 
contented  themselves  with  running  loose  among  the  wig- 
wams. 

After  the  winter  had  passed,  the  ice  in  the  streams  having 
disappeared,  and  the  fur  of  newly-killed  beaver  became 
worthless,  the  clerk  and  his  voyageurs  loaded  up  their  canoes 
with  their  furs  and  skins,  and  returned  to  their  employers. 
Here  the  summer  was  generally  spent  in  drinking,  dancing, 
and  parties  made  by  the  congregated  traders  from  different 
points,  until  the  time  arrived  for  a  new  expedition.  Thus 
years  would  pass,  and  when  clerks  and  voyageurs  became 
too  infirm  to  continue  their  regular  business,  they  settled 
down  upon  a  small  piece  of  land  at  these  central  points, 
with  a  squaw  for  a  wife,  and  there  ended  their  days.  On 
the  death  of  the  husband,  if  the  wife  survived,  she  often 
returned  to  her  tribe  with  the  children,  and  these  children 
would  grow  up  and  often  become  the  most  savage  of  the  tribe. 

White  blood  never  improves  the  Indian,  morally,  men- 
tally, or  physically,  but  if  it  changes  him  at  all,  it  adds  to 
his  natural  barbarity.  Indeed,  the  contact  of  the  whites 
with  the  Indians,  from  the  "  landing  of  the  pilgrims  "'  to  the 
present  day,  has  been  deleterious  to  the  latter  race,  except 
the  very  limited  efforts  at  times  of  benevolent  individuals  to 
Christianize  them.  We  have  almost  uniformly  cheated  them 
in  trade,  crazed  them  with  brandy,  rum,  and  whisky,  de- 
bauched their  daughters,  and  robbed  them  of  their  lands. 
Who  can  blame  them  if  they  are  distrustful  of  our  Christi- 
anity, and  cling  to  the  religion  of  their  fathers,  as  the  only 
thing  left  to  them  which  has  not  been  polluted  by  the 
whites  ? 


THE  GREAT  LAKES,  AND  THEIR  NAVIGATION.     423 

The  commerce  with  the  Indian  tribes  was  carried  on  at 
first  in  bark  canoes,  but  as  business  and  freight  increased, 
the  French  introduced  the  batteau,  a  long,  light  boat,  which 
proved  very  effectual  in  navigating  the  rivers. 

In  1679,  Sieur  De  La  Salle,  the  explorer  of  the  lower 
Mississippi,  impatient  of  the  custom  of  transporting  freight 
to  the  upper  lakes  in  canoes  and  batteaux,  built,  above 
Niagara  Falls,  the  "  Griffin,"  a  small  sail  vessel,  on  which 
he  embarked,  with  his  goods  and  about  thirty  men,  for 
Mackinaw,  August  7,  1679,  arriving  at  the  latter  place  on 
the  27th  of  the  same  month.  Here  he  remained  until  Sep- 
tember 2nd,  when  he  weighed  anchor  and  sailed  forty 
leagues,  to  the  mouth  of  Green  Bay,  where  he  and  most  of 
the  party  took  the  freight  into  canoes,  to  perform  the  bal- 
ance of  the  journey;  the  "  Griffin  "  was  sent  back  to 
Niagara,  but  was  never  heard  of  after  it  passed  beyond 
Mackinaw.  The  published  account  does  not  name  the 
locality  at  which  the  "  Griffin  "  was  sent  back,  but  the  Rev. 
Father  St.  Cosme,  who  passed  over  the  route  in  1699, 
remarked  that  forty  leagues  from  Mackinaw,  they  "  cabined 
in  an  isle  of  the  detour,  (so  called)  because  there  the  lake 
begins  to  turn  southerly,"  and  then  crossed  Green  Bay 
"  from  ile  to  ile,"  leaving  the  bay  of  Noquet's  "  on  the  right." 

The  point  between  Lake  Michigan  and  Noquet  bay  (Bay 
De  Nock),  is  still  called  "  Point  Detour,"  and  the  "  Griffin  " 
probably  stopped  at  Sumner  island,  a  trifle  south  of  the 
point.  Many  modern  writers  do  not  speak  of  the  "  Griffin  " 
passing  south-west  of  Mackinaw.  The  writer  does  not  find 
any  mention  of  the  tonnage  of  the  "  Griffin,"  but  Rev. 
Father  Membre*,  who  sailed  in  it,  called  it  a  "  barque,"  and 
La  Salle,  in  1684,  in  a  memorial  to  the  king,  speaking  of 
his  losses  by  shipwreck  in  1678  and  1679,  said  that  "no 
time  had  been  lost  in  building,  at  Fort  Frontenac,  two  new 
vessels  since,  one  of  thirty-five  to  forty,  and  the  other  of 
twenty-five  tons,"  and  that  those  two  cost  "  nine  thousand 
liivres." 


424  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

La  Salle  evidently  introduced  sail  vessels  on  Lake  Ontario, 
as  Father  Membrd  says  that  La  Salle,  who  had  previously 
built  Fort  Frontenac,  ".sent  off  his  troops  in  a  brigantine 
for  Niagara,  with  Father  Louis  Hennepin,  on  the  18th  of 
November,"  1678,  and  that  La  Salle  "made  frequent  voya- 
ges from  Fort  Frontenac  to  Niagara,  during  the  winter,  on 
the  ice,  and  in  the  spring,  with  vessels  loaded  with  provi- 
sions," and  that  "  the  pilot  who  directed  one  of  his  well- 
loaded  barques,  lost  it  on  Lake  Frontenac  (Ontario).  These 
statements  establish  the  point  that  La  Salle  owned  these 
vessels,  and  that  two  were  lost  in  1679,  one  on  Lake 
Ontario,  and  the  "  Griffin  "  between  Mackinaw  and  Niagara. 
These  vessels  on  Lake  Ontario  were  probably  built  between 
the  spring  of  1676,  when  La  Salle  took  possession  of  Fort 
Frontenac  to  rebuild  it,  and  1677,  when  he  sailed  for  France 
to  obtain  a  patent  to  explore  the  Mississippi ;  or  it  is  possi- 
ble, though  not  probable,  that  they  were  built  during  his 
absence  to  France. 

The  advent  of  the  enterprising  La  Salle  upon  the  lakes, 
with  a  supposed  monopoly  of  the  fur  trade,  raised  up  against 
him  the  opposition  of  the  whole  trading  interests,  and  every 
appliance  possible  was  arranged  to  circumvent  his  opera- 
tions and  defeat  his  plans ;  and  as  La  Salle  had  first  intro- 
duced sail  vessels  on  the  lakes,  this  fact  was  resorted  to  by 
the  traders  to  arouse  the  superstitions  of  the  savages,  and 
array  them  against  him.  Hence,  Father  Membre,  on  this 
subject,  writes  that  "  an  enterprise  which  should  have  been 
sustained  by  all  well-meaning  persons,  for  the  glory  of  God 
and  the  service  of  the  king,  had  produced  precisely  the 
opposite  feelings  and  effects,  which  had  been  already  com- 
municated to  the  Hurons,  the  Outaoiiats  of  the  island,  and 
the  neighboring  nations,  to  make  them  ill-affected."  Thus, 
through  the  malice  of  traders  against  La  Salle,  the  proud 
little  "  barques"  were  driven  from  the  boisterous  lakes, 
never  to  reappear  above  Niagara  falls  while  the  French 
held  possession  of  the  country,  and  never  to  reappear  on 


THE  GREAT  LAKES,  AND  THEIR  NAVIGATION.  425 

Lake  Ontario  until  about  the  commencement  of  the  great 
war  of  1755,  when  all  superstitions  sank  into  insignificance, 
in  view  of  the  portentous  struggle  for  the  sovereignty  of 
all  Canada. 

The  next  mention  we  have  of  sail  vessels  is  of  two  at  a 
new  French  mission  and  fort  at  the  present  site  of  Ogdens- 
burg,  New  York,  "  loaded  with  hay  and  the  stockades  of 
the  fort,"  which  were  burned  by  a  party  of  Mohawks, 
October  26th,  1749. 

Again,  in  July,  1755,  the  French  Governor  of  Canada 
notices  the  fact  that  the  English  at  Oswego  were  building 
some  sloops  carrying  ten  guns  ;  and,  the  last  of  the  same 
month,  that  the  English  "  have  actually  two,  and  perhaps 
three,  flat-bottomed  sloops  with  sweeps,  armed  for  war, 
cruising  on  Lake  Ontario."  The  French  also  prepared  four 
small  armed  vessels,  to  protect  their  batteaux  when  carrying 
supplies  to  Niagara.  Finally,  on  the  llth  August,  1756, 
the  French,  under  Montcalm,  laid  siege  to  Oswego,  and 
captured  it  the  14th  of  the  same  month,  with  the  English 
fleet,  then  consisting  of  seven  vessels  of  war,  one  of  eighteen 
guns,  one  of  fourteen  guns,  one  of  ten,  one  of  eight,  three 
mounted  with  swivels,  and  two  hundred  barges  or  batteaux. 
These  vessels,  with  the  most  of  those  belonging  to  the 
French,  were  recaptured  by  the  colonial  troops  under 
Colonel  Bradstreet,  when  they  took  Fort  Frontenac,  now 
called  Kingston,  August  27th,  1758.  All  but  two  of  the 
vessels  were  burned,  probably  as  worthless,  and  those  two 
were  loaded  with  the  trophies  of  the  victory,  and  taken 
back  to  Oswego.  This  virtually  terminated  the  French 
navy  on  the  lakes. 

The  surrender  of  Canada  in  1760  to  Great  Britain,  threw 
into  the  hands  of  the  British  the  then  important  fur  trade 
of  the  north-west,  and  that  government  early  took  possession 
of  the  different  military  posts,  and  prepared  to  supervise 
the  Indian  tribes,  then  still  in  a  state  of  semi-hostility.  To 
this  end,  they  constructed  two  armed  schooners,  and  put 
27* 


426  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

them  on  Lake  Erie,  probably  in  the  fall  of  1762;  but  the 
first  notice  of  them  to  be  found  is  that  they  were  lying 
before  the  fort  at  Detroit,  May  8th,  1763,  at  the  commence- 
ment of  the  siege  of  that  fort  by  Pontiac.  One  of  these, 
named  the  "  Gladwin,"  made  a  trip  to  Fort  Erie,  and 
returned  with  supplies  and  a  reinforcement  for  the  fort,  in 
June,  which  saved  the  fort  from  being  surrendered  to  the 
Indians.  The  "  Gladwin"  made  several  trips  during  the 
season  to  Fort  Erie.  On  the  13th  of  August,  1763,  she  left 
Detroit  with  her  consort,  called  the  "  Beaver,"  but  the  lat- 
ter was  wrecked  on  her  return  towards  Detroit,  on  the  28th 
of  the  same  month,  at  Catfish  creek,  fourteen  miles  from 
Buffalo.  The  "  Gladwin"  only  saved  from  the  wreck  one 
hundred  and  eighty-five  barrels  of  provisions,  which  she 
took  to  Detroit.  About  this  time  additional  vessels  were 
put  on  the  lake ;  and  the  arrivals  at  Detroit  for  1764  showed 
the  names  of  the  "  Gladwin,"  "  Victory,"  "  Boston,"  and 
"  Royal  Charlotte."  This  year  the  "  Gladwin"  made  one 
trip  to  Mackinaw. 

From  this  time  up  to  the  commencement  of  the  war  of 
1812,  the  commerce  of  the  lakes  was  mainly  confined  to  the 
interests  of  the  fur  trade,  and  the  sail  vessels  m-ade  a  few 
trips  annually  to  Mackinaw  and  Sault  St.  Mary. 

Previous  to  1 800,  the  North-western  Fur  Company  placed 
a  schooner  on  Lake  Superior,  to  run  from  Sault  St.  Mary  to 
La  Point,  near  the  head  of  the  lake.  The  first  American 
vessel,  called  the  "Washington,"  was  launched  at  Erie, 
Pennsylvania,  in  1797,  after  the  surrender  of  the  north- 
western posts  to  the  United  States  by  Great  Britain.  In 
1812  the  whole  number  of  vessels  on  the  upper  lakes  above 
Niagara  falls  was  only  twelve,  belonging  to  both  govern- 
ments. To  these  were  added,  in  1813,  the  armed  squadrons 
of  the  two  nations,  which  finally  became  the  property  of  the 
United  States,  by  "  Perry's  victory,"  September  10th,  1813. 

The  discovery  of  steam  navigation,  which  has  worked  a 
revolution,  particularly  on  the  great  rivers  of  the  world,  was 


THE  GREAT  LAKES,  AND  THEIR  NAVIGATION". 


427 


early  transferred  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  lakes ;  and  in  1818 
was  first  heard  the  snorting  "  Walk-in-the-Water,"  the  first 
steamer  on  Lake  Erie. 

The  following  table,  compiled  and  published  by  the  editor 
of  the  "Buffalo  Commercial  Advertiser"  in  1843,  will  show 
the  progress  of  steam  navigation  for  the  first  twenty-five 
years,  on  the  lakes  above  Niagara  falls  : 

List  of  Steamers  on  the   Upper  Lakes  to  1843. 


Name. 

Tons. 

Class. 

Where  built. 

When 
built. 

Walk-in-the-Water     

840 

Low 

Black  Rock  

1818 

800 

Buffalo  

1822 

ion 

ii 

1824 

H    Clay     

348 

ii 

Black  Rock  

1825 

230 

High 

180 

ii 

1826 

275 

Erie  

250 

High 

120 

Barcelona  

1829 

75 

ii 

Erie  

242 

Low 

Huron  

1830 

Ohio   

187 

High 

I.  Sandusky    

Adelaide  

230 

Low 

Chippewa  

00 

High 

Charleston  

1832 

395 

Erie          

New  York 

825 

ii 

Black  Rock  ,   

Brady  

ICO 

ii 

Detroit  

280 

50 

High 

Erie  

609 

1883 

472 

Webster  .•  

&5S 

ii 

Black  Rock  

240 

llin-h 

Toledo     

26 

151 

Black  Rock  

362 

High 

170 

1TO 

ii 

77 

Buffalo  

1834 

Porter  

342 

Black  Rock  

428 

11 

Erie  

Perry   
Monroe  

352 
341 

High 

Perrysburgh  
Monroe  

180 

11 

Buffalo     

877 

Minnessetuk  

250 

Jackson  

50 

High 

80 

L.  Western  

60 

ii 

Fulton  

308 

ii 

1835 

Columbus   

391 

11 

812 

Buffalo 

United  States  

3(56 

High 

Chicago  

186 

Taylor   

95 

ii 

Thames    

160 

ii 

Clinton   .. 

413 

ii 

Huron  .  . 

1836 

428 


UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 
List  of  Steamers — continued. 


Name. 

Tons. 

Class. 

Where  built. 

When 
built. 

J.  Palmer  

300 

Buffalo  

L.  Erie  

149 

Detroit  

102 

it 

United  

37 

High 

Detroit  

St.  Clair  

250 

80 

it 

Toledo    .                          

18 

ii 

116 

ii 

Sandusky  

755 

1  37 

472 

High 

630 

Erie  

580 

Wisconsin  

700 

Conneaut  

Erie  

497 

ii 

Erie  

288 

ii 

B.  Hill  

457 

High 

443 

416 

Black  Rock              

Milwaukee  

401 

390 

High 

101 

Star  

128 

1( 

80 

ii 

53 

ii 

Great  Western  

780 

ii     ' 

1  38 

Buffalo  

618 

Buffalo                

412 

385 

High 

863 

Fairport  

259 

High 

148 

75 

High 

J.  Allen  

250 

380 

High 

Dole     

162 

52 

ii 

51 

ii 

45 

ii 

56 

it 

St    Joseph  

gcott         

240 

ii 

1  89 

161 

150 

High 

Kent          

180 

149 

ii 

63 

ii 

Erie                      

612 

ii 

1840 

826 

ii 

98 

Black  Rock        

400 

534 

ii 

Toledo    

1841 

Franklin  

231 

High 

1842 

Nile    

600 

Detroit        

1843 

Union  

64 

High 

Black  Rock  

Besides  the  above  list,  there  are  a  few  small  boats  of 
which  nothing  is  known  other  than  their  names.  Among 
these  are  the  "  Pantanguishane,"  "  Cynthia,"  "  Pontiac,"  and 
"  Phenomenon,"  making  with  those  above  given  an  aggre- 


THE  GREAT  LAKES,  AND  THEIR  NAVIGATION.  429 

gate  of  27,000  tons,  at  a  total  cost  of  $3,510,000,  —  one 
hundred  and  thirty  dollars  a  ton  being  what  we  deem  true 
data  for  building  and  fitting  out  this  description  of  vessels. 

The  number  of  boats  yet  remaining  of  the  whole  once  in 
commission  on  Lake  Erie  and  the  other  upper  lakes  is  about 
sixty,  with  an  aggregate  of  17,000  tons.  Of  these,  some 
thirty-five  only  are  used  when  the  consolidation  is  in 
existence. 

Of  the  whole  number  of  boats  put  in  commission  during 
the  above  period,  only  ten  were  built  and  owned  in  Canada. 

The  first  steamer  on  Lake  Michigan  was  the  Henry  Clay, 
which  visited  Green  Bay  with  a  pleasure  party  in  August, 
1827.  The  first  steamer  visited  Chicago  in  1832,  and 
carried  there  General  Scott  and  troops  for  the  "  Black  Hawk 
war,"  and  with  them  the  cholera. 

In  1843  a  new  era  in  steam  navigation  was  established, 
by  the  introduction  of  the  "  propeller,"  by  Messrs.  Hollisters, 
of  Buffalo.  During  that  season  they  launched  one  at 
Buffalo,  one  at  Cleveland,  one  at  Perrysburg,  and  one  at 
Chicago.  The  first  was  called  the  "  Hercules,"  and  was 
one  hundred  and  thirty-five  feet  long,  twenty-five  feet  beam, 
eight  feet  hold,  and  two  hundred  and  seventy-five  tons. 
The  engine  was  one  of  the  Ericsson  patent,  of  fifty  horse- 
power, filled  only  about  six  feet  square,  and  weighed  only 
fifteen  tons.  This  left  almost  the  entire  hull  for  storage. 
It  cost  about  $20,000,  and  was  rigged  with  sails  as  well  as 
engine.  This  class  of  steamers  became  popular  in  lake 
navigation,  and  was  afterwards  greatly  multiplied. 

In  1825,  the  whole  licensed  tonnage  of  all  the  lakes  above 
the  Falls  of  Niagara  consisted  of  three  steamers  of  seven 
hundred  and  seventy-two  tons,  and  fifty-four  sailing  craft 
of  1,677  tons,  being  an  aggregate  of  only  2,449  tons. 

From  1825  to  1851  the  aggregate  tonnage  was  as  follows: 
1830,  16,300;  1835,  30,602;  1841,  55,181;  1846,  90,000; 
1851,  153,426. 


UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

The  Chicago  Board  of  Trade,  in  1862,  made  up  the  fol- 
lowing table,  showing  the  number,  class,  tonnage,  and  valua- 
tion of  vessels,  American  and  Canadian,  engaged  in  the 
commerce  of  the  lakes  from  1858  to  1862: 

Class  and  Tonnage  of  Vessels. 


1858. 

AMERICAN. 

CANADIAN-. 

No. 

Tonnage 

Valuation. 

No. 

Tonnage 

Valuation. 

72 
111 

69 
129 
830 

43,031 
56,994 
6,366 
42,592 
177,170 

67 
14 
5 
87 
212 

24,734 
4,197 
415 
10,793 
32,959 

Total  

1,213 

75 
190 
44 
76 
831 

331,153 

47,833 
57,210 
17,929 
21,505 
172,526 

335 

77 
27 
23 
16 
217 

73',  143 

25,939 
7,289 
7,832 
3,815 
31,792 

1860. 

$2,439,840 
8,250,390 
584,540 
484,25(1 
5,233,085 

$1,499,680 
407,290 
246,480 
94,380 
893,560 

Propellers   

Barques  

Schooners  

Total  

1,216 

66 

122 
132 
60 
75 
903 

316,503 

43,683 
52,932 
17,280 
26,555 
22,124 
199,423 

$11,992,105 

$1,403,800 
2,344,31)0 
922,2  )0 
786,300 
466,700 
5,439,800 

360 

61 
16 

2-2 
2-2 
14 
229 

70,717 

28,104 
5,154 

8,432 

Tjnv 

4,223 
35,062 

$3,146,390 

$1,020,200 
181,000 
202,300 
224,5iX) 
107,000 
872,500 

1862. 

Tugs         

Brigs  * 

Schooners  

Total  

1,363 

361,997 

$11,364,100 

367 

88,396 

$2,607,500 

The  following  are  the  different  kinds  of  vessels  built 
during  the  year  ending  June  30th,  1864,  with  their  tonnage 
and  place  of  construction — American : 


THE  GKEAT  LAKES,  AND  THEIR  NAVIGATION. 


431 


2 

§  * 

• 

C  a? 

e 

_O 

» 

z, 

If 

!i 

i 

1 

| 

NEW  YORK— 

&* 

I 

Kg 

1 

£ 

H 

Oswego           ... 

5 

78 

i 

84 

I2,O24 

Genesee                 -            - 

i 

i 

2O 

Niagara 

I 

i 

150 

Buffalo  Creek    '    - 

2 

23 

26 

5i 

4>757 

Cape  Vincent 

3 

3 

1,023 

OHIO  — 

Sandusky 

4 

2 

6 

12 

1,814 

Cuyahoga        ... 

i 

6 

9 

ii 

27 

Toledo 

i 

I 

'  81 

MICHIGAN  — 

Detroit             ... 

4 

7 

H 

9 

34 

6,669 

Mackinaw 

i 

4 

5 

1,446 

WISCONSIN  — 

Milwaukee       - 

9 

i 

10 

2,346 

ILLINOIS  — 

Chicago       ','.-" 

i 

9i 

4 

96 

11,468 

Total 

6 

43 

218 

58 

325 

49-H9 

Total  for  1863      - 

16 

5« 

329 

7i 

475 

68,337 

The  miscellaneous  points  between  the  east  and  west,  to 
which  this  large  fleet  of  vessels  ran,  may  be  gathered  as  an 
approximation  from  the  Report  of  the  Milwaukee  Chamber 
of  Commerce  for  1863,  on  the  lines  of  propellers  running 
from  that  city.  The  following  were  the  several  lines  for 
1863: 

1.  The  People's  Line  and  Western  Transportation  Com- 
pany :    Twelve  propellers  to  Buffalo,  Erie  railroad  and  Erie 
canal. 

2.  The  New  York  Central  Line  :     Ten  propellers  to  Buf- 
falo, New  York  Central  railroad  and  Erie  canal. 

3.  The  Grand  Trunk  Line :     Eight  propellers  to  Sarnia, 
Canada,  Grand  Trunk  railroad. 

4.  Evans'  Line  :     Seven  propellers  to  Buffalo,  New  York 
Central  and  Erie  canal. 

5.  Northern  Transportation  Citizens'  Line  :     Eight  pro- 
pellers to  Oswego  and  New  York  canals. 


432 


UPPEE  MISSISSIPPI. 


6.  Great  Western  Railway  Line :     Seven   propellers  to 
Sarnia,  Canada,  Great  Western  railroad. 

7.  Detroit  and  Milwaukee  Railroad  Line :     Two  steam- 
\ 

ships  to  Grand  Haven,  Michigan. 

8.  Montreal  Propeller  Line  :     Five  propellers  weekly,  to 
Montreal,  Canada. 

These  lines  of  propellers  were  mostly  an  addition  to  the 
shipping  of  Milwaukee  for  1863,  as  is  indicated  by  the  fol- 
lowing table : 

Shipping  of  Milwaukee,  1862  and  1863. 


1862. 

1863. 

No. 

Tonnage. 

No. 

Tonnage. 

Steamers          - 
Propellers    - 
Barques   -         -        -         - 
Brigs    --.- 

Schooners        - 

Total     ... 

7 

8 
8 
107 

2,546 

3^87 
2,481 
I9>33<> 

8 

69 
70 

20 
405 

5.353 
38,54i 
28.883 
6,225 
81,769 

130 

27,844 

572 

160,771 

This  addition  to  the  shipping  of  Milwaukee,  was  made 
necessary  mainly  by  the  large  surplus  of  grain  raised  in 
north-western  Wisconsin,  northern  Iowa,  and  Minnesota, 
nearly  all  of  which  was  sent  to  the  Milwaukee  market,  by 
which  that  city  was  made  to  exceed  Chicago  in  the  amount 
of  wheat  sent  to  the  eastern  market.  Another  fact  has 
contributed  in  a  measure  to  this  result :  namely,  the  fact 
that  the  spring  wheat  of  Wisconsin,  Minnesota,  and  north- 
ern Iowa,  is  a  superior  article  to  that  raised  farther  south, 
and  is  more  sought  after  for  flouring  by  eastern  mill-owners. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

CANALS,    RAILROADS,    TELEGRAPH    LINES,    AND    COMMERCE. 

PREVIOUS  to  our  revolutionaiy  war,  the  subject  of  commerce 
with  the  North-west  attracted  the  attention  of  General  Wash- 
ington, of  Virginia,  and  he  submitted  a  scheme  to  the  House 
of  Burgesses,  of  that  State,  for  the  construction  of  a  canal 
to  the  head  waters  of  the  Ohio  river,  for  which  he  received 
a  vote  of  thanks  from  that  body.  The  scheme,  however, 
was  thought  to  be  chimerical  by  some,  and  premature  by 
others,  and  was  not  commenced  by  the  State. 

New  York  had  for  nearly  two  centuries  struggled  with 
Canada  in  the  competition  for  the  fur  trade  of  the  North- 
west, but  witnessed  with  disappointment  that  the  most  of 
that  trade  had  continued  to  follow  the  water  courses  to 
Montreal  and  Quebec  ;  hence  they  early  planned  schemes  for 
connecting  the  Hudson  river  with  Lake  Erie  by  water  com- 
munication. Finally,  in  1816,  Governor  Clinton,  of  New 
York,  recommended  to  the  legislature  of  that  State  the 
building  of  a  canal  from  Albany  to  Buffalo.  That  year  a 
preliminary  survey  was  made  of  the  route,  and,  July  4th, 
1817,  the  work  was  formally  commenced,  and  prosecuted 
with  energy  from  year  to  year  until  its  completion,  May 
26th,  1825. 

The  progress  of  the  work  was  watched  with  great  solici- 
tude  by  statesmen   of  other    States,   and   its   triumphant 
success  was  the  signal  for  the    commencement   of  other 
similar  improvements. 
28 


434  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

The  State  of  Pennsylvania  formally  inaugurated  her 
works  July  4th,  1826,  which  were  completed  to  Pittsburgh  in 
March,  1834.  These  were  made  up  of  the  Columbia  railroad, 
from  Philadelphia  to  Columbia,  82  miles ;  the  eastern  and 
Juniata  division  of  the  Pennsylvania  canal,  from  Columbia 
to  Hollidaysburg,  at  the  base  of  the  Alleghany  mountains, 
172  miles;  the  Portage  railroad,  from  Hollidaysburg  to 
Johnston,  36  miles,  passing  over  the  mountain ;  and  the 
western  division  of  the  Pennsylvania  canal,  from  Johnstown 
to  Pittsburgh,  104  miles; — making  the  total  distance,  from 
Philadelphia  to  Pittsburgh,  394  miles. 

Previous  to  the  completion  of  the  New  York  canal,  the 
people  of  Maryland  had  monopolized  the  eastern  travel  to 
the  Ohio  river,  by  the  shortness  of  the  route  from  the 
Chesapeake  bay ;  but,  on  the  completion  of  the  New  York 
canal,  they  saw  the  most  of  this  travel  deflected  to  the  New 
York  route ;  hence  we  find  Maryland  early  competing  for 
the  prize  of  the  commerce  of  the  Ohio  valley.  Receiving 
assistance  from  the  cities  of  Washington,  Georgetown,  and 
Alexandria,  and  from  the  United  States  government,  Mary- 
land chartered  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  canal,  extending 
from  Alexandria  up  the  Potomac  river.  This  work  was 
commenced  under  favorable  auspices  in  1828,  but  was  only 
completed  to  Cumberland,  a  distance  of  191  nliles,  in  1851. 

The  State  of  Ohio  was  earlier  in  the  field  with  her  canals 
than  either  Pennsylvania  or  Maryland;  and  in  1825  that 
State  commenced  the  Ohio  canal,  which  extended  from 
Portsmouth,  on  the  Ohio  river,  to  Cleveland,  on  Lake  Erie, 
a  distance  of  307  miles.  The  Miami  canal  was  also  com- 
menced in  1825,  and  extended  from  Cincinnati  to  Man- 
hattan, on  Lake  Erie,  near  Toledo,  a  distance  of  270  miles. 
Both  of  these  canals  were  completed  in  1832. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  Ohio  canals,  with  their 
several  lengths : 


CANALS,  RAILROADS,  TELEGRAPH  LINES,  ETC.  435 

Ohio  canal  and  branches  ....  340  miles. 

Walhonding  canal               -  -             -             -             -        25  " 

Miami  canal  and  branches  -             ...  315  " 

Hocking  Valley  canal        -  56  " 

Muskingham  improvement  -             ...  91  " 

Sandy  and  Beaver  canal  -  76  " 

Mahoning  canal            -  *            -  77  " 

Total  length  of  all,  -  -      980  miles. 

These  Avorks  cost  over  $19,000,000,  and  have  contributed 
greatly  to  the  prosperity  of  the  State  and  the  commerce  of 
the  lakes. 

In  the  financial  expansion  of  1836,  the  legislature  of  the 
State  of  Indiana  planned  an  extensive  system  of  works  for 
internal  improvements,  and  the  Wabash  and  Erie  canal  was 
constructed  from  the  State  line  of  Ohio  up  the  Maumee 
river  and  down  the  Wabash  to  Lafayette ;  but  the  crisis  of 
1837-8  caused  the  State  to  suspend  operations,  and  the 
canal  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  bondholders,  by  whom  it 
was  subsequently  completed  to  Evansville,  on  the  Ohio 
river.  It  extends  379  miles  through  the  State  of  Indiana, 
and  is  of  the  total  length,  to  Lake  Erie,  of  467  miles. 
Indiana  has  also  the  White  Water  canal,  extending  from 
Lawrenceville,  on  the  Ohio  river,  to  Hagerstown,  a  distance 
of  75  miles. 

The  State  of  Michigan  also,  in  1836,  planned  extension 
lines  of  canals,  but  the  bankruptcy  of  1838  suspended  opera- 
tions before  they  were  scarcely  commenced.  The  St. 
Mary's  ship  canal,  however,  several  years  after,  received  a 
grant  of  land  from  the  United  States,  and  was  completed 
May  19th,  1855.  It  is  cut  through  solid  rock,  ten  feet 
deep,  one  hundred  feet  wide,  and  surmounts  the  falls,  which 
were  twenty-two  feet  perpendicular  height. 

The  State  of  Illinois  followed  nearly  in  the  path  of  Indiana. 
It  commenced  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  canal  in  1836, 
suspended  operations  in  1838,  and  turned  the  work  over  to 


436  TIPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

the  bondholders,  who  completed  the  canal  from  Chicago  to 
Peru  in  1848,  a  distance  of  100  miles. 

In  June,  1838,  the  territory  of  Wisconsin  obtained  a 
grant  of  land  from  the  United  States,  to  aid  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  Milwaukee  and  Rock  River  canal,  and  the 
work  was  commenced ;  but  subsequently  the  work  was 
abandoned,  and  most  of  the  proceeds  of  the  sales  of  the 
grant  reverted  to  the  United  States,  and  was  deducted  from 
the  five  per  cent,  fund  due  the  new  State. 

Congress  made  another  grant  of  land  to  the  territory  of 
Wisconsin,  August  8th,  1846,  "  to  aid  in  the  improvement 
of  the  Fox  and  Wisconsin  rivers,  and  to  connect  the  same 
by  a  canal."  This  grant  was  accepted  by  Wisconsin,  by 
an  act  of  the  legislature  of  the  State,  approved  June  29th, 
1848,  and  the  work  was  soon  after  commenced,  and  is  still 
(1867)  in  progress. 

No  other  north-western  State  has  made  any  serious  attempt 
to  construct  canals. 

The  construction  of  railroads  began  to  attract  the  atten- 
tion of  the  people  of  the  North-west  in  1836,  and  that  year 
the  State  of  Ohio  commenced  the  Lake  Erie  and  Kalamazoo 
railroad,  which  was  finished  in  1845,  thirty-three  miles. 
The  Mansfield  and  Sandusky  was  also  commenced  in  1836, 
and  completed  in  1847  ;  the  Mud  River  and  Lake  Erie  was 
commenced  in  1836,  and  completed  in  1846,  one  hundred 
and  thirty-four  miles ;  and  the  little  Miami  was  commenced 
in  1837,  and  finished  in  1846,  eighty-four  miles. 

The  States  of  Indiana,  Illinois,  and  Michigan  also  inaug- 
urated a  system  of  railroads  in  1836,  but  little  progress  was 
made  until  long  after  the  financial  crisis  of  1837-8  had 
passed.  In  fact,  the  construction  of  railroads  in  the  North- 
west progressed  very  slowly  until  after  1850. 

The  building  of  railroads  received  a  great  impetus  from 
the  government  of  the  United  States.  As  one  of  the  paci- 
fying measures  of  the  government  in  the  great  anti-slavery 
excitement  of  1850,  Congress  passed  a  law,  the  20th  of 


CANALS,  RAILROADS,  TELEGRAPH  LINES,  ETC.  437 

September  of  that  year,  (the  same  date  as  the  law  suppress- 
ing the  slave  trade  in  the  District  of  Columbia,)  providing 
"  that  the  right  of  way  through  the  public  lands  be,  and  the 
same  is  hereby  granted  to  the  State  of  Illinois,  for  the  con- 
struction of  a  railroad  from  the  southern  terminus  of  the 
Illinois  and  Michigan  canal  [Peru]  to  a  point  at  or  near  the 
junction  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers,  with  a  branch 
of  the  same  to  Chicago,  on  Lake  Michigan,  and  another  via 
the  town  of  Galena,  in  said  State,  to  Dubuque,  in  the  State 
of  Iowa,  with  the  right  also  to  take  necessary  materials  of 
earth,  stones,  timber,  etc.,  for  the  construction  thereof: 
Provided,  That  the  right  of  way  shall  not  exceed  one 
hundred  feet  on  each  side  of  the  length  thereof,"  etc.  By 
the  second  section  of  the  same  act,  it  was  further  provided, 
"  That  there  be,  and  is  hereby,  granted  to  the  State  of 
Illinois,  for  the  purpose  of  aiding  in  making  the  railroad 
and  branches  aforesaid,  every  alternate  section  of  land 
designated  by  even  numbers,  for  six  sections  in  width  on 
each  side  of  said  road  and  branches,'"  etc. ;  and  if  any  of 
the  even  numbers  of  sections  within  six  miles  had  then  been 
sold,  or  preempted,  an  equivalent  number  might  be  selected 
within  fifteen  miles  of  the  road. 

Section  four  provided  that  the  State  might  sell  the 
lands,  and  that  "  the  said  road  and  branches  shall  be  and 
remain  a  public  highway,  for  the  use  of  the  government  of 
the  United  States,  free  from  toll  or  other  charges  upon  the 
transportation  of  any  property  or  troops  of  the  United 
States.  By  the  fifth  section  the  grant  was  to  be  forfeited 
unless  the  road  was  completed  in  ten  years ;  and  by  the 
sixth  section  the  mails  were  to  be  carried  on  the  road  at 
,  such  price  as  should  be  fixed  by  law. 

By  the  seventh  section  of  the  same  act  a  grant  with  like 
provisions  was  made  to  the  States  of  Mississippi  and  Ala- 
bama, for  the  extension  of  the  road  from  the  mouth  of  the 
Ohio  river  to  Mobile. 

The  leading  spirit  in  Congress  who  urged  and  procured 


438  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

this  magnificent  grant  of  land,  and  thus  initiated  the  system 
of  granting  lands  for  railroads,  was  the  late  Senator  Douglas, 
of  Illinois,  a  leading  champion  in  north-western  civilization. 


HON.  S.  A.  DOUGLAS,  LATE  U.  S.  SENATOR  FOR  ILLINOIS. 


The  principal  grants  of  land  by  the  United  States  after- 
wards made  for  railroads  to  other  north-western  States, 
were  as  follows:  To  Missouri,  June  10th,  1852,  (1,)  from 
Hannibal  to  St.  Joseph ;  and,  (2,)  from  St.  Louis  to  the 
west  line  of  the  State,  as  might  be  determined  by  the  State 
legislature.  To  Missouri  and  Arkansas,  February  9th,  1858, 
"  from  a  point  on  the  Mississippi  river,  opposite  the  mouth 
of  the  Ohio,  via  Little  Rock,  to  Texas  boundary  line,  near 
Fulton  in  Arkansas,  with  branches  from  Little  Rock  in 
Arkansas,  to  the  Mississippi  river,  and  to  Fort  Smith,  in 
said  State." 


CANALS,  RAILROADS,  TELEGRAPH  LINES,  ETC.  439 

To  the  State  of  Iowa,  May  15th,  1856,  (1,)  "  from  Burling- 
ton, on  the  Mississippi  river,  to  a  point  on  the  Missouri 
river  near  the  mouth  of  the  Platte  river ;  (2,)  from  the  city 
of  Davenport,  via  Iowa  City  and  Fort  Des  Moines,  to 
Council  Bluffs ;  (3,)  from  Lyons  City  north-westerly  to  a 
point  of  intersection  with  the  main  line  of  the  Iowa  Central 
Air-Line  railroad  near  Maquoketa,  thence  on  said  main 
line,  running  as  near  as  practicable  to  the  forty-second 
parallel,  across  the  said  State  to  the  Missouri  river;  (4,) 
from  the  City  of  Dubuque  to  a  point  on  the  Missouri  river 
near  Sioux  City,  with  a  branch  from  the  mouth  of  the  Tete 
Des  Morts  to  the  nearest  point  on  said  road." 

To  the  State  of  Michigan,  June  3rd,  1856,  (1,)  "from 
Little  Bay  de  Noquet  to  Marquette,  and  thence  to  Ontona- 
gon,  and  from  the  two  last-named  places  to  the  Wisconsin 
State  line ;  and,  (2,)  also,  from  Amboy,  by  Hillsdale  and 
Lansing,  and  from  Grand  Rapids,  to  some  point  on  or  near 
Traverse  bay ;  also,  (3,)  from  Grand  Haven  and  Pere  Mar- 
quette to  Flint,  and  thence  to  Port  Hm-on." 

By  the  act  of  March  3rd,  1865,  a  further  grant  was  made, 
"  for  the  purpose  of  aiding  in  the  construction  of  a  railroad 
from  Marquette  on  Lake  Superior,  to  the  Wisconsin  State 
line  at  or  near  the  mouth  of  the  Menomonee  river,  for  the 
benefit  and  use  of  the  Chicago  and  North-western  Railway 
Company,  a  corporation  of  the  States  of  Michigan,  Illinois, 
and  Wisconsin  ;  and  from  Marquette  to  Ontonagon,  for  the 
use  and  benefit  of  the  Marquette  and  Ontonagon  Railroad 
Company,  a  corporation  of  the  State  of  Michigan ;  and  for 
twenty  miles  westerly  from  Marquette,  of  the  Bay  de  Noquet 
and  Marquette  railroad,  for  the  benefit  and  use  of  the  Bay  de 
Noquet  and  Marquette  Railroad  Company,  four  additional 
alternate  sections  of  land,  per  mile,  to  that  already  granted." 
The  same  act  extended  the  time  for  the  completion  of  the 
road  from  Marquette  to  the  mouth  of  the  Menomonee  river, 
and  thence  to  Lake  Winnebago  in  Wisconsin,  five  years 
from  June  3rd,  1866. 


440  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

To  the  State  of  Wisconsin,  June  3rd,  1856,  (1,)  "from 
Madison,  or  Columbus,  by  the  way  of  Portage  City  to  St. 
Croix  river  or  lake,  between  townships  twenty-live  and 
thirty-one,  and  from  thence  to  the  west  end  of  Lake 
Superior,  and  to  Bayfield ;  and,  (2,)  from  Fond  du  Lac,  on 
Lake  Winnebago,  northerly  to  the  State  line." 

By  the  act  of  May  5th,  1864,  further  grants  to  Wisconsin 
were  made  as  follows:  (l,)  "From  a  point  on  the  St. 
Croix  river  or  lake,  between  townships  twenty-five  and 
thirty-one,  to  the  west  end  of  Lake  Superior,  and  from  some 
point  on  the  line  of  said  railroad,  to  be  selected  by  said 
State,  to  Bayfield,  every  alternate  section  of  public  land 
designated  by  odd  numbers,  for  ten  sections  in  width,  on 
each  side  of  said  road,  deducting  any  and  all  lands  that 
may  have  been  granted  to  the  State  of  Wisconsin  by  the 
act  of  Congress  of  June  3rd,  1856;  (2,)  from  the  town  of 
Tomah  to  St.  Croix  river  or  lake,  between  townships  twenty- 
five  and  thirty-one,"  the  same  number  of  sections  with  like 
conditions  as  the  above.  The  two  foregoing  grants  only 
covered  that  portion  of  the  grant  of  1856  extending  from 
Tomah  to  Lake  Superior,  and  was  supplementary  thereto, 
leaving  the  balance  of  the  grant  of  1856,  from  Tomah  to 
Madison,  to  still  rest  on  the  law  of  1856.  (3,)  "  From 
Portage  City,  Berlin,  Doty's  island,  or  Fond  du  Lac,  as  said 
State  may  determine,  in  a  north-western  direction  to  Bay- 
field,  and  thence  to  Superior,  on  Lake  Superior,"  giving  the 
odd  numbered  alternate  sections  for  ten  miles  on  each  side 
of  the  road. 

To  the  State  of  Minnesota,  March  3rd,  1857,  (1,)  "from 
Stillwater,  by  way  of  St.  Paul  and  St.  Anthony,  to  a  point 
between  the  foot  of  Big  Stone  lake  and  the  mouth  of  Sioux 
Wood  river,  with  a  branch,  via  St.  Cloud  arid  Crow  Wing, 
to  the  navigable  waters  of  the  Red  river  of  the  north,  at 
such  point  as  the  legislature  of  said  territory  may  determine ; 
(2,)  from  St.  Paul  and  from  St.  Anthony,  via  Minneapolis, 
to  a  convenient  point  of  junction  west  of  the  Mississippi,  to 


CANALS,  RAILROADS,  TELEGRAPH  LINES,  ETC.  441 

tile  southern  boundary  of  the  territory  in  the  direction  of 
the  mouth  of  the  Big  Sioux  river,  with  a  branch,  via  Fari- 
bault,  to  the  north  line  of  the  State  of  Iowa,  west  of  range 
sixteen;  (3,)  from  Winona,  via  Saint  Peters,  to  a  point  on 
the  Big  Sioux  river,  south  of  the  forty -fifth  parallel  of  north 
latitude ;  (4,)  also  from  La  Crescent,  via  Target  Lake,  up 
the  valley  of  Root  river  to  a  point  of  junction  with  the  last 
mentioned  road,  east  of  range  seventeen."  By  the  act  of 
July  12th,  1862,  the  first  route  mentioned  above  was  slightly 
modified,  and  an  additional  branch  granted  from  said  line, 
(5,)  "from  between  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony  and  Crow 
Wing,  and  extending  in  a  north-easterly  direction  to  Lake 
Superior." 

To  the  State  of  Kansas,  March  3rd,  1863,  (1,)  "  from  the 
city  of  Leavenworth,  by  the  way  of  the  town  of  Lawrence, 
and  via  the  Ohio  City  crossing  of  the  Osage  river,  to  the 
southern  line  of  the  State,  in  the  direction  of  Galveston  bay, 
in  Texas,  with  a  branch  from  Lawrence,  by  the  valley  of 
the  Wakarusa  river,  to  the  point  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka 
and  Santa  Fe  railroad,  where  said  road  intersects  the  Neosho 
river;  (2,)  from  the  city  of  Atchison,  via  Topeka,  the 
capital  of  said  State,  to  the  western  line  of  the  State,  in  the 
direction  of  Fort  Union  and  Santa  Fe,  New  Mexico,  with 
a  branch  from  where  this  last-named  road  crosses  the 
Neosho,  down  said  Neosho  valley  to  the  point  where  the 
said  first-named  road  entered  the  said  Neosho  valley." 

By  the  act  of  July  1st,  1864,  another  route  was  granted, 
"  from  Emporia,  via  Council  Grove,  to  a  point  near  Fort 
Riley,  on  the  branch  Union  Pacific  Railroad ;"  and  the 
grant  in  the  act  of  1863,  "  from  Lawrence,  by  the  valley  of 
the  Wakarusa  river,  to  a  point  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  and 
Santa  Fe  Railroad  where  said  road  intersects  the  Neosho 
river,  shall  be  so  changed  as  to  run  from  Lawrence  to 
Emporia." 

The  great  scheme  for  a  railroad  to  the  Pacific  ocean  was 
advocated  by  Mr.  Whitney  and  others,  long  before  such  a 
28* 


442  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

measure  had  become  practicable  by  the  advancement  of 
civilization ;  but  the  agitation  of  the  subject  had  prepared 
the  public  mind  for  the  early  adoption  of  the  enterprise, 
and  Congress,  March  3rd,  1853,  appropriated  $150,000  to 
the  Secretary  of  War,  and  authorized  him  "  to  employ  such 
portion  of  the  corps  of  topographical  engineers,  and  such 
other  persons  as  he  may  deem  necessary,  to  make  such 
explorations  and  surveys  as  he  may  deem  advisable,  to 
ascertain  the  most  practicable  and  economical  route  for  a 
railroad  from  the  Mississippi  river  to  the  Pacific  ocean." 
Further  appropriations  were  made  of  $190,000  for  the  same 
purpose. 

Under  this  act,  the  Secretary  of  War  organized  several 
corps  for  the  survey  of  different  routes.  The  northern  route, 
near  the  47°  of  north  latitude,  was  put  under  the  superin- 
tendence of  Governor  Isaac  J.  Stevens,  who  passed  up  the 
Mississippi  on  the  steamer  "Nominee,"  May  27th,  1853, 
and  immediately  commenced  operations  at  St.  Paul. 
Brevet-Captain  George  B.  McClellan  (late  Major-General) 
was  put  in  charge  of  a  similar  corps  at  Puget  Sound,  on  the 
Pacific,  to  meet  Governor  Stevens.  Similar  parties  were 
organized  to  survey  near  the  35°,  38°,  and  41°  parallels  of 
north  latitude,  while  all  previous  surveys  by  Colonel 
Fremont  and  others,  were  brought  in  requisition  for  the 
information  they  contained.  The  final  result  of  these  sur- 
veys, with  extensive  maps,  illustrations,  and  geographical 
and  scientific  discoveries,  were  published  in  1861,  in  thirteen 
quarto  volumes,  by  govei-riment,  at  a  large  expense. 

The  scheme  was  then  taken  up  by  Congress,  and,  on  the 
1st  day  of  July,  1862,  the  act  was  approved  by  the  Presi- 
dent, organizing  "  The  Union  Pacific  Railroad  Company," 
which  was  fully  "  empowered  to  lay  out,  locate,  construct, 
furnish,  maintain  and  enjoy  a  continuous  railroad  and  tele- 
graph, with  the  appurtenances,  from  a  point  on  the  one 
hundredth  meridian  of  longitude  west  from  Greenwich, 
between  the  south  margin  of  the  valley  of  the  Republican 


CANALS,  KAILKOADS,  TELEGRAPH  LINES,  ETC.  443 

river  and  the  north  margin  of  the  valley  of  the  Platte  river, 
in  the  territory  of  Nebraska,  to  the  western  boundary  of 
Nevada  territory,"  with  a  branch  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Kansas  river,  and  another  to  Ornaha.  The  capital  stock 
was  put  at  100,000  shares,  of  $1,000  each,  and  the  company 
received  a  grant  of  five  alternate  odd  numbered  sections  on 
each  side  of  the  road,  and  a  loan  of  the  bonds  of  the  United 
States  at  the  rate  of  $16,000  per  mile,  which  bonds  were  to 
constitute  the  first  mortgage  on  the  road. 

By  the  act  of  July  2nd,  1864,  the  shares  were  reduced  to 
$100  each,  and  the  capital  stock  was  put  at  1,000,000  shares, 
and  some  other  changes  made  in  the  original  charter  for 
the  road. 

The  Union  Pacific  Railroad  Company  was  duly  organized, 
and  the  road  located  and  put  under  contract,  and  305  miles 
were  completed  west  of  Omaha,  January  1st,  1867,  and  517 
miles  in  September,  the  same  year,  with  a  fair  prospect  of 
completing  the  balance  to  California  in  1870;  a  distance  of 
nearly  1,565  miles  to  the  west  line  of  Nevada,  and,  adding 
the  California  branch,  1,900  miles  to  the  Pacific.  The 
general  route  from  Omaha  is  up  the  North  Platte  river,  thence 
to  the  Great  Salt  lake,  and,  by  the  way  of  Humboldt  river, 
to  connect  with  the  Central  Pacific  road  in  California,  which 
had  150  miles  of  the  western  division  from  Sacramento 
completed  in  September,  1867,  which  had  pierced  the 
Siei'ra  Nevada  mountains.  The  Kansas  branch,  called  the 
eastern  division,  had  about  300  miles  completed  in  Septem- 
ber, 1867,  and  a  contract  for  95  miles  more,  to  be  com- 
pleted December  31st  of  the  same  year.  The  eastern  divi- 
sion is  pointing  for  Denver  City,  by  the  Smoky  Fork  route. 

The  other  roads  west  of  the  Mississippi  have  been  making 
commendable  efforts  to  connect  with  the  Omaha  and  Kansas 
branches;  and  the  Chicago  and  Northwestern  Railroad 
finally  reached  Council  Bluffs,  and  brought  themselves  in 
connection  at  Omaha,  a  distance  from  Chicago  of  492  miles, 
January  22nd,  1867. 


444 


UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 


The  "  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  Company"  was  chartered 
by  Congress,  July  2nd,  1864,  and  were  "empowered  to  lay 
out,  locate,  construct,  furnish,  maintain  and  enjoy  a  con- 
tinuous railroad  and  telegraph  line,  with  the  appurtenances, 
namely:  beginning  at  a  point  on  Lake  Superior,  in  the 
State  of  Minnesota  or  Wisconsin ;  thence  westerly  by  the 
most  eligible  railroad  route,  as  shall  be  determined  by  said 
company,  within  the  territory  of  the  United  States,  on  a 
line  north  of  the  forty-fifth  degree  of  latitude,  to  some  point 
on  Puget's  Sound,  with  a  branch,  via  the  valley  of  the 
Columbia  river,  to  a  point  at  or  near  Portland,  in  the  State 
of  Oregon,  leaving  the  main  trunk  line  at  the  most  suitable 
place,  not  more  than  three  hundred  miles  from  its  western 
terminus." 

The  capital  stock  of  the  company  was  put  at  1,000,000 
of  shares,  of  $100  each,  and  the  company  received  a  grant 
of  twenty  of  the  odd  numbered  alternate  sections  per  mile 
on  each  side  of  said  railroad  where  it  passes  through  the 
territories,  and  only  ten  sections  per  mile  each  side  where 
it  passes  through  States.  The  company  were  required  to 
commence  the  work  in  two  years  from  the  date  of  the 
charter,  and  after  the  second  year  build  fifty  miles  a  year 
of  the,road,  and  complete  the  whole  by  July  4th,  1876. 

The  following  will  show  the  number  of  miles  of  railroads 
in  operation  at  the  periods  named,  in  the  northwest: 

Table  of  Railroads. 


1850. 

1855. 

I860. 

186T. 

Ohio    - 

575 

2,453 

2,990 

Indiana      - 

228 

1,406 

2,125 

Illinois              .... 

no 

887 

2,868 

Michigan  - 

342 

474 

799 

919 

Wisconsin  «    - 

20 

187 

923 

i,i36 

Iowa           .... 

68 

680 

i)i36 

Missouri           - 

139 

817 

962 

Minnesota              ... 

332 

Kansas              .... 

357 

Nebraska       -            -            - 

5i7 

CANALS,  RAILROADS,  TELEGRAPH  LINES,  ETC.  445 

By  reference  to  the  foregoing  table,  it  will  be  observed 
that  Iowa  and  Missouri  had  no  railroads  in  1850,  and  that 
Minnesota,  Kansas  and  Nebraska  had  none  until  after  1860, 
the  most  of  which  were  built  after  the  close  of  the  war  in 
1865.  Some  progress  has  been  made  since  1860  in  Ohio, 
Indiana,  and  Illinois,  but  the  writer  has  not  the  data  to  put 
in  the  table.  In  1867,  roads  were  being  extended  in  all  the 
north-western  States;  but  with  the  greatest  rapidity  in 
Minnesota,  Kansas,  Nebraska,  and  Iowa,  and  in  a  short 
pei'iod  of  time  several  routes  will  be  completed  to  the 
Pacific  ocean. 

The  magnetic  telegraph  has  been  of  great  importance  to 
the  North-west,  by  bringing  this  distant  region  within  speak- 
ing distance  of  the  Atlantic  cities.  Although  the  first  line 
of  telegraph  was  only  put  in  operation  between  Washington 
and  Baltimore  in  May,  1844,  yet  in  about  four  years  it  had 
reached  Milwaukee,  St.  Louis,  and  other  prominent  cities  in 
the  North-west.  It  was  subsequently  extended  north-west 
from  Milwaukee,  and  reached  La  Crosse  in  October,  1858, 
and  St.  Paul,  August  29th,  1860.  The  telegraph  has  been 
extended  on  the  line  of  every  railroad,  and  to  all  the  princi- 
pal villages  in  the  North-west ;  and  so  perfect  is  its  arrange- 
ments, that  the  President's  messages  reach  the  extreme 
boundaries  of  the  American  Union  in  a  few  minutes  after 
the  last  words  are  pronounced  at  Washington. 

By  the  act  of  Congress  passed  June  16th,  1860,  the 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury  was  authorized  to  advertise  for 
proposals  "  for  the  use  by  the  government  of  a  line  or  lines 
of  magnetic  telegraph,  to  be  constructed  within  two  years 
from  the  31st  day  of  July,  1860,  from  some  point  or  points 
on  the  west  line  of  the  State  of  Missouri  to  the  city  of  San 
Francisco,  for  a  period  of  ten  years,"  and  "  pi-oyided  such 
proffer  does  not  require  a  larger  amount  per  year  from  the 
United  States  than  $40,000."  Under  this  encouragement, 
the  line  was  completed  to  San  Francisco,  October  22nd, 
1861. 


446  UPPEK  MISSISSIPPI. 

By  the  act  of  July  1st,  18&2,  the  Pacific  Telegraph  Com- 
pany, the  Overland  Telegraph  Company,  and  the  California 
State  Telegraph  Company,  were  authorized  to  make 
arrangements  with  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  Company, 
to  remove  said  telegraph  lines  on  to  the  route  of  the  said 
railroad  as  fast  as  the  road  was  completed. 

By  the  act  of  Congress  of  July  1st,  1864,  Perry  Mac- 
Donough  Collins,  of  California,  and  his  associates,  were 
authorized  to  construct  branches  from  the  line  of  the  Pacific 
telegraph  through  any  of  the  territories  of  the  United  States 
to  British  America.  Collins  and  Company  had  previously 
obtained  grants  from  the  Russian  and  British  governments 
to  build  a  telegraph  line  from  the  mouth  of  Amoor  river,  in 
Asia,  via  Behring's  Straits,  to  the  United  States.  This 
enterprise  has  been  prosecuted  with  great  labor  and  cost, 
and  in  December,  1866,  eight  hundred  and  fifty  miles  had 
been  put  in  operation  north  of  Westminster,  British 
Columbia,  and  the  balance  of  the  material  delivered  at  con- 
venient points  to  Behring's  Straits  and  the  sub-marine  cable 
at  Victoria,  Vancouver  island,  when  the  company  suspended 
operations  in  January,  1867. 

The  limits  of  this  work  will  not  allow  us  to  give  the 
various  agricultural  statistics  of  the  North-west,  but  we  take 
the  liberty  to  give  a  table  of  the  productions  of  wheat  and 
corn,  as  given  by  the  United  States  census  of  1850  and 
1860. 


CANALS,  RAILROADS,  TELEGRAPH  LINES,  ETC.  447 

Production  of  Wheat  and  Corn  in  the  North--west. 


WHEAT. 

CORN. 

1849. 

1859- 

1849. 

1859- 

Dakota  

Bushels. 

9.4H.575 
6,214,458 
1,530,581 

4,925,889 
1,401 
2,981,652 

H.487.35I 
4,286,131 

Bushels. 

945 
24,159,500 
15,219,120 

8,433,215 
168,527 
8,313,185 
2,195,812 
4,227,586 
72,268 
H,532,57o 
15,812,625 

Bushels. 

57,646,984 
52,964,363 
8,656,799 

5,641,420 
16,725 
36,214,537 

59,078,695 
1,988,979 

Bushels. 
20,296 
115,296,779 
69,641,591 
41,116,994 
5,678,834 
12,152,110 
2,987,570 
72,892,157 
1,846,785 
70,637,140 
7,565,290 

Illinois  '.  . 

Indiana  

Iowa  

Kansas  

Michigan  

Minnesota  

Nebraska  

Ohio  

Wisconsin  

Total  

43.832,038 

93.i34.353 

222,208,502 

399'935,546 

By  an  examination  of  the  same  census  reports,  it  will  be 
observed  that  all  the  States  and  territories  in  the  United 
States,  produced,  in  1849:  wheat,  100,485,944  bushels,  and 
in  1859,  171,183,381  bushels;  of  corn,  in  1849,  592,071,104 
bushels,  and  in  1859,  830,451,707  bushels. 

By  comparing  these  statistics,  it  will  be  seen  that  in 
1849  the  north-western  States  and  territories  of  Dakota  and 
Nebraska,  produced  nearly  forty-four  per  cent,  of  all  the 
wheat  and  corn  in  the  United  States  and  territories,  and  in 
1859,  nearly  sixty  per  cent,  of  the  wheat,  and  nearly  forty- 
seven  per  cent,  of  the  corn.  • 

In  the  subsequent  years  the  productions  of  the  North-west 
in  wheat  and .  corn  has  largely  increased,  notwithstanding 
the  war  of  the  great  rebellion  ;  and  according  to  the  report 
of  the  Commissioner  of  Agriculture,  there  were  raised  in 
1864,  in  the  north-western  States,  including  Nebraska  terri- 
tory, 123,128,416  bushels  of  wheat,  and  404,602,276  bushels 
of  corn. 

While  wheat  and  corn  are  regarded  as  the  staple  produc- 


448  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

tions,  yet  the  North-west  exports  a  large  surplus  of  rye, 
barley,  oats,  whisky,  wool,  horses,  fat  cattle,  hogs,  and  other 
productions  of  a  temperate  climate.  Some  idea  of  this 
surplus  may  be  gathered  from  the  tables  made  up  by  the 
Buifalo  Board  of  Trade,  from  which  it  appears  that  there 
were  shipped  to  an  eastern  market,  from  the  North-west,  in 
1860,  4,106,057  barrels  of  flour,  32,334,391  bushels  of  wheat, 
18,075,778  bushels  of  corn,  and  7,712,032  bushels  of  other 
grain.  This  statement  does  not  include  Missouri,  Kansas, 
nor  Nebraska,  nor  the  shipments  sent  South.  In  1862,  and 
after  the  commencement  of  the  war,  the  same  authority 
gives  the  eastern  shipments  as  8,359,910  barrels  of  flour, 
50,609,130  bushels  of  wheat,  32,985,923  bushels  of  corn,  and 
10,844,939  bushels  of  other  grain.  These  amounts  of  course 
did  not  include  the  large  shipments  for  the  support  of  the 
vast  armies  of  the  Cumberland,  the  Tennessee,  and  of  the 
Mississippi. 

According  to  the  same  authority,  there  were  received  in 
1862,  at  Buffalo,  from  the  North-west:  171,552  barrels  of 
pork,  123,301  barrels  of  beef,  25,687,657  pounds  of  bacon, 
22,471,204  pounds  of  lard,  113,253  barrels  of  whisky, 
30,410,252  of  staves,  125,289,971  feet  of  lumber,  129,433 
cattle,  524,916  hogs,  105,671  sheep,  4,119,173  pounds  of 
butter,  1,313,030  pounds  of  cheese,  36,812  bushels  of  flax 
seed,  268,685  hides,  8,329,811  pounds  of  iron,  8,535,992 
pounds  of  lead,  2,624,932  bushels  of  oats,  1,075,650  pounds 
of  oil-cake,  4,363,884  pounds  of  tallow,  51,278  bushels  of 
timothy  seed,  5,047  bushels  of  clover  seed,  and  vast  quan- 
tities of  other  materials.  These  items  do  not  include  large 
quantities  of  the  surplus  productions  sent  to  an  eastern 
market  by  railroads,  and  by  the  Welland  canal ;  but  these 
show  that  the  productions  of  the  North-west  are  not  confined 
to  wheat  and  corn. 

Manufactures  are  also  receiving  considerable  attention 
in  the  North-west.  Large  quantities  of  agricultural  imple- 
ments, pig  iron,  bar  and  rolled  iron,  steam  engines,  stoves, 


CANALS,  RAILROADS,  TELEGRAPH  LINES,  ETC.  449 

lead,  copper,  cloths,  boots  and  shoes,  and  other  articles,  are 
being  manufactured.  Cotton  and  woolen  factories  have 
been  established,  to  a  limited  extent,  in  most  of  the  States, 
and  the  public  attention  is  waking  up  to  the  importance  of 
their  increase. 


CONCLUSION. 

IT  has  been  the  writer's  endeavor,  in  this  work,  to  collect 
and  present  to  the  reader  those  leading  facts  in  the  history 
of  the  North-west,  which  are  necessary  to  enable  the  well- 
informed  citizen  to  speak  intelligently  on  the  growth  and 
prosperity  of  his  country,  leaving  the  more  detailed  account 
to  be  gathered  from  the  thousands  of  original  documents. 
This  subject  is  doubly  interesting  to  the  statesman  and 
philosopher,  owing  to  the  wonderful  rapidity  of  the  settle- 
ment of  the  country  after  the  close  of  the  war  of  1812, 
being  unparalleled,  it  is  believed,  in  the  history  of  the 
world.  It  demonstrates,  by  facts,  many  of  the  peculiarities 
of  human  nature,  and  shows,  on  an  extensive  scale,  the 
workings  of  Divine  Providence.  Its  growth  has  not  been 
an  ephemeral  growth,  for  the  institutions  have  been  laid  on 
broad  and  deep  foundations,  and  the  superstructure  is  of 
imperishable  materials.  Neither  has  the  work  been  planned 
and  executed  under  the  compressing  power  of  bigotry, 
superstition,  or  the  theories  of  infidelity ;  but  human  nature 
and  Christianity  have  been  allowed  to  expand  themselves 
to  their  fullest  extent,  and  spread  their  more  generally 
approved  qualities  and  principles  over  the  primeval  soil. 
Hence  common  schools  and  colleges  are  endowed  in  perpe- 
tuity, religion  has  been  allowed  its  greatest  latitude,  suffrage 
is  not  even  limited  to  the  white  race,  while  agriculture, 
manufactures,  internal  improvements,  and  commerce,  have 
no  limitation  nor  circumscribed  bounds. 

But  the  North-west  is  yet  only  partially  developed.    Large 
29 


450  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI.  • 

quantities  of  land  still  exists  in  the  older  States  in  a  state  of 
nature,  being  owned  by  speculators  ;  and  in  the  newer  States 
there  are  vast  quantities  of  land  that  are  yet  in  the  hands 
of  government,  awaiting  the  arrival  of  emigrants  to  occupy 
it.  When  all  this  unoccupied  land  is  converted  into  culti- 
vated fields,  it  must  necessarily  contribute  largely  to  the 
commerce  of  the  country. 

The  question  is  here  naturally  suggested,  will  this  pros- 
perity be  perpetual  ?  Will  not  the  North-west  become 
over-jealous  of  their  rights,  and  reenact  the  southern  rebel- 
lion ?  We  reply,  that  no  embryo  element  of  discord  and 
disaffection  to  the  Union  has  yet  shown  itself  in  any  part  of 
the  country.  Of  course  its  great  danger  will  be  from  the 
demagogues,  common  to  all  free  countries,  who  seek  to 
alarm  the  people  with  imaginary  dangers,  for  the  purpose 
of  getting  themselves  elected  to  office.  These  imaginary 
dangers  are  often  the  most  potent  to  drive  an  honest  people 
into  a  murderous  rebellion.  Local  jealousies  are  often  made 
the  weapons  of  the  demagogues  to  cajole  the  people  to 
gratify  their  ambitious  designs.  Bigotry  in  religion,  in  the 
old  days  of  superstition,  was  often  made  the  foundation  of 
rebellion  ;  but  the  toleration  allowed  by  the  constitution  of 
our  Union  will  probably  preserve  us  from  any  such  rebel- 
lion while  that  instrument  is  suffered  to  stand.  A  general 
system  of  education  has  been  regarded  by  many  as  the 
most  plausible  theory  to  establish  a  proper  political  conser- 
vatism, but  that  theory  has  never  been  fully  successful. 
Wars  will  probably  always  continue  so  long  as  our  human 
depravity  exists,  and  no  protection  has  yet  been  discovered 
by  man,  except  the  arm  of  the  Almighty. 


INDEX. 


Agricultural  productions,  447-448. 
Algonquin  Confederacy,  42-43. 
Allouez,  Rev.  Claude,  123-125,  131,  344. 
Akansea;  see  Quapaws,  201. 
Assiniboins,  59,  224. 

B. 

Braddock's  defeat,  71. 

Brebeuf,  Rev.  John  De,  116,120,  131. 

Brandy  War,  126-130. 

Brunson,  Rev.  Alfred,  143,  144. 

Brothertowns,  170. 

C. 

Canals,  430. 

Completed  in  New  York,  433. 

Pennsylvania,  434. 

Maryland,  434. 

Ohio,  435. 

Indiana,  435. 

Illinois,  436. 

Michigan,  436. 

Wisconsin,  436. 
Cayugas;  see  Iroquois,  159. 

Catholic  Missions,  114-134,  161,  163,  176,  198,  203,  208,  290,  312. 
Religious  bigotry  and  persecutions,  114. 
First  mission  in  Canada,  115. 
First  mission  to  the  Hurons,  115,  116. 
Destroyed  by  the  Iroquois  war,  120. 
Mission  to  Lake  Superior,  121,  123,  124. 
Mission  to  Wisconsin,  123,  124. 
Mission  to  Illinois,  125,  126,  132. 
List  of  missionaries,  131,  132. 
Struggles  against  the  sale  of  brandy,  126,  130. 


454  INDEX. 

Champlain's  150  years'  war,  43-45. 
Chicago,  125,  334,  429,  430. 
Chippeways,  265,  290. 

Missions  among,  143-145,  149. 
Cincinnati  organized,  325. 
Clarke,  Colonel  G.  R.,  captures  Illinois,  97. 
Colorado  Territory,  384. 
Conclusion,  449. 
Corn  raised  in  1849,  l&59i  1864,  447. 

D. 

Dakotas,  224-264. 

Dakotas  attacked  by  the  Christinaux,  52. 

War  with  Sacs  and  Foxes,  56. 

War  with  the  Chippeways,  59. 

Bands  of,  in  1867,  226. 
Dakota  Territory,  384-386. 
De  Carry,  chiefs,  81,  82,  189. 
Delawares,  159,  166-169. 

War  against  the  Iroquois,  49,  50. 

Made  squaws  by  treaty,  50. 

Massacre  of  Christians,  137,  138. 
Detroit,  338. 
Dickson,  Colonel  Robert,  British  Agent,  107. 

Captures  Mackinaw,  107 

Arms  North-western  Indians  under  Black  Hawk,  108. 

Defeats  Major  Holmes  at  Mackinaw,  in. 

Sends  expedition  to  Prairie  Du  Chien,  in. 
Dieskaw,  Baron  De,  72. 

E. 

Education  and  schools. 

Ohio,  325. 

Indiana,  328. 

Illinois,  334. 

Michigan,  339. 

Wisconsin,  362-365. 

Missouri,  370,  371. 

Iowa,  372. 

Minnesota,  377,  378. 

Kansas,  381. 

Nebraska,  382. 

English  attack  St.  Louis,  368,  369. 
Eries,  or  Kah-kwah,  exterminated,  46-49. 

F. 

Flint  Bluffs,  24. 
Floods  of  the  Mississippi,  392. 
Floods  of  the  Ohio  river,  397,  398. 
Foxes  :  see  Sacs  and  Foxes,  291-306. 


INDEX.  455 


Fort  Chartres,  90,  97,  332,  333. 

Fort  William  Henry  Massacre,  76. 

French  traders,  82. 

French  and  Indian  war  with  English,  68,  79. 

Change  of  policy  with  Indians,  68. 

Defeat  of  General  Braddock,  71. 

Defeat  of  Baron  De  Dieskaw,  72. 

War  declared  against  England,  73. 

Montcalm  captures  Fort  William  Henry,  74,  76. 

Fort  Niagara  captured  by  English,  78,  79 

Canada  surrendered  to  English,  79. 

Disasters  of  the  war  to  the  French,  81,  82. 

English  alliance  with  Indians,  79,  80. 

G. 

Galena  and  Minnesota  Packet  Company,  403. 

Galesville,  14,  34. 

Green  Bay,  67,  341,  345~353>  354- 

H. 

Hennepin,  Rev.  Father,  224. 

Henry  Clay,  first  steamer  on  Lake  Michigan,  429. 

Hurons,  159,  164-166. 


I. 

Illinois,  330-337- 

Illinois  Confederacy,  172. 

Indian  Confederacies  by  languages,  42. 

Indian  warfare,  112,  113. 

Indian  tribes  in  1866,  315-318. 

Indiana,  327-330. 

Iowa,  372-373. 

lowas,  199-201. 

Iroquois,  159-164. 

War  with  the  French  commenced,  43-45. 

War  against  the  Hurons,  44-46. 

War  against  the  Eries,  or  Kah-kwah,  46. 

War  against  the  Illinois,  49,  53,  54. 

War  against  the  Delawares  and  Mohegans,  49-50. 

War  continued  againt  the  French,  50,  55,  56. 

Treachery  of  the  French,  55. 

Massacre  of  French  at  La  "Chine,  56. 

Treaty  of  peace  in  1700,  57. 

Service  in  French  war,  72,  78. 

Services  in  the  Revolution,  93-98. 


456  INDEX. 


Jogues,  Rev.  Isaac,  119,  120. 
Johnson,  Sir  William,  79. 

Made  Indian  Agent  by  English,  79. 

Remonstrates  against  abuse  of  Indians,  80. 

Defeats  Baron  De  Dieskaw,  72. 

Captures  Fort  Niagara,  78. 

Makes  peace  with  Pontiac,  88-90. 

Complains  of  the  pioneers,  91. 

Died  in  1774,  93. 
Johnson,  Guy,  appointed  Indian  Agent,  93. 

Arms  the  Indians  against  the  Americans,  94. 

Plans  the  Wyoming  massacre,  96. 

His  "  petite  guerre  "  warfare,  98. 

Defeated  by  General  Sullivan,  97. 
Jollyet,  124. 

K. 

Kansas  State,  378,  381. 

Kansas,  182,  212-217. 

Kaokias,  172,  173. 

Kaskaskias,  172,  173,  174. 

Kaws  :  see  Kansas,  212. 

Kickapoos,  172,  175,  176,  177. 

Kieft's,  Governor,  massacre  of  Indians,  170. 

King  Phillips'  war,  170. 

L. 

La  Salle,  126,  424. 

Lakes,  Great,  and  their  navigation,  415. 

Physical  character,  415. 

Commerce  of  the  lakes,  416,  421. 

First  sail  vessel,  the  "  Griffin,"  423. 

Steam  navigation,  426. 
La  Crosse,  15. 

Lappam,  LL.D.,  Increase  A.,  15. 
La  Point,  345. 

Langlade,  Lieutenant  Charles  De,  82,  97. 
Lead  discoveries,  356,  357. 
Lenapees  :  see  Delawares,  166. 
Little  Turtle's  Confederacy,  98. 

A  scheme  of  the  British,  98. 

They  defeat  General  St.  Clair,  99. 

Are  defeated  by  General  Wayne,  101. 

Conclude  a  peace  with  United  States,  102,  105. 
Logan's  revenge  and  speech,  92,  93. 


IXVEX.  45' 


Mackinaw  Island,  46,  124.  337,  421. 

Mandans.  182,  2^1-2^3. 

Marquette,  James.  123-125,  131. 

Mascotens.  172.  175.  176. 

Marietta  settled.  ^2>. 

Menard,  Rev.  Rene,  121.  1:2,  165.  343. 

Methodists,  139, 

Menflfniinies,  182.  194 — 199.  171. 

Miamies,  172.  175,  176.  177. 

Michigamias.  172.  173. 

Michigan,  337-340. 

Milwaukee.  359,  361. 

Milwaukee  wheat  shipments.  432. 

Minnesota.  373-378. 

Missourias,  182,  209-21:. 

Missions.  114.  135. 

Missouri.  367-371. 

Missouri  Compromise,  370,  380. 

Mississippi  and  its  navigation,  388. 

First  discovery  of  the  river.  388-391. 

Origin  of  its  name.  391. 

Physical  character,  392-394. 

Floods  of  the  river.  394-396. 

Ohio  river,  396-398. 

Missouri  river.  398-399. 

Navigation  of  the  river,  399.  400. 

Steam  navigation,  400-408. 

Mississippi  valley.  409-411. 

Navigation  ot"  the  river  free,  411,  413. 

Navigation  to  be  improved,  413.  414. 
Missions  to  Indians.  114. 
Mohawks:   see  Iroquois.  159. 

Mohegans.  150.  169-171. 
Morand.  Captain,  66,  67. 
Montana  Territory,  386-387. 
Mound-Builders,  11-40. 

Extent  ot"  Territory.  12. 

Intellectual  capacity,  13. 

Population  and  extent  of  works,  14-18. 

Agriculture  and  Commerce.  17-20. 

Manufactures  and  Science,  21-24. 

Religion.  21-31. 

Effigies  of  animals.  31-35. 

Speculations  of  Dr.  Morton,  36. 

Traditions  of  Indians.  37. 

Concluding  speculations,  39-40. 
Munsees,  171. 
Musquakies:  see  Sacs  and  Foxes,  291. 


29* 


458 

N. 

Nadouessioux :  see  Dakota,  224. 

Nebraska,  381-383. 

Newspapers  in  States,  326,  330,  337,  340,  365.  366,  371.  372,  378,  381. 

Niagara  captured,  78,  79. 

Nicolet,  Sieur  Jean,  182,  184.  389. 

Nicolet  and  Fremont,  392,  398. 

Noquets,  194. 

Nomenee  packet.  404. 

N'orth-western  Packet  Company,  405. 

North-western  Union  Packet  Company,  407. 

O. 

O-chunk-o-raws  :  see  Winnebagoes,  182. 

Ohio,  319-327. 

Ojibway  Confederacy,  265-290. 

Omahas,  182,  217-219. 

Ongwe-honwe  :  see  Iroquois.  159. 

Oneidas  :  see  Iroquois,  159,  162. 

Onondagas  :  see  Iroquois,  159. 

Osages,  182,  203-208. 

Ottoes,  182,  209-212. 

Outagamies :  see  Sacs  and  Foxes,  291. 

P. 

Peorias,  172,  173,  174. 

Pequod  war,  170. 

Pontiac  war,  85-90. 

Pontiac  assassinated,  90. 

Poncas,  182,  219-221. 

Population  of  Indian  Tribes  in  1866,  315-318. 

Population  of  States,  325,  329,  333,  340,"  362,  371,  372,  377.  387.  329. 

Potowatomies,  306-314. 

Prairie  Du  Chien,  in,  20,  346-352. 

Propeller  "  Hercules  "  built.  429 

Propellers  in  Milwaukee  lines,  431,  432. 

Protestant  missions,  135-158. 

Eliot,  of  Massachusetts,  135. 

Brainard,  136. 

Moravian,  136-138. 

Methodist,  139-149,  162,  163,  171,  180,  288.  306. 

Friends,  180,  216. 

American  Board,  149-151,  163.  253.  263,  289. 

Presbyterian  Board,  151,  211.  218. 

Cumberland  Presbyterian,  151. 

American  Baptist,  152.  153.  163,  169.  178.  313. 

Protestant  Episcopal.  153.  263. 

American  M.  Association,  153. 

Struggles  against  whisky-sellers,  154-158. 


INDEX.  459 

0, 

Quapaws,  201-203. 

R. 

Railroads,  436. 

Land  grants  to,  by  Congress,  436-441. 

Pacific  Railroad,  survey  of,  441-442. 

Union  Pacific  Railroad  Company  organized,  442,  443. 

Northern  Pacific  Railroad  Company  chartered,  443-444. 

Miles  completed  in  North-west,  444. 

S. 

Sacs  and  Foxes,  291-306. 

War  against  the  Sioux,  56. 

Massacre  by  the  P>ench  at  Detroit,  57-63. 

Make  peace  with  the  Sioux,  59. 

War  against  the  Chippeways,  59. 

War  of  the  French  against,  63-67. 
Saulteurs  :  see  Ojibways,  265. 
Senecas :  see  Iroqtiois,  159,  166. 
Shawnees,  178,  179,  180. 

Attacked  by  the  Iroquois,  49. 

Settle  near  the  Iroquois,  168. 
Shipping  on  the  lakes  in  1858,  1860,  1862,  430. 
Shipping  built  in  1864,  431. 
Shipping  of  Milwaukee  in  1862,  1863,  432. 
Sioux:  see  Dakota,  224-264. 
Sioux  massacre,  245-260. 
Steamers  on  upper  lakes  to  1843,  427- 
St.  Clair,  General  Arthur,  99-101. 
St.  Louis  settled.  368. 

St.  Regis,  161. 
St.  Tammany,  167. 
Stockbridges,  170. 
St.  Paul,  373,  374,  408. 

T. 

Tamarois,  172. 

Tecumseh  and  the  Prophet,  106. 

Make  a  new  religion,  106. 

Are  defeated  at  Tippecanoe,  106,  107. 

Tecumseh  killed,  108. 

Indians  sue  for  peace,  108. 
Telegraph,  445,  446. 
Tonnage  of  the  upper  lakes,  429. 
Tuscaroras,  159,  160. 


460  IXDEX. 


w. 

Walk-in-the-Water,  first  steamer  on  lake,  427. 

Wa-saw-sees  :  see  Osages,  203^ 

Wheat,  amount  raised  in  i8491i864.  447. 

Whisky  war,  154.  158. 

Williams,  Rev.  Eleazer,  162. 

Winnebagoes,  182-193. 

Wisconsin,  341-366. 

Wyandots  :  see  Hurons,  164-166. 

Wyoming  massacre,  96. 


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